Rafael Nadal of Spain
Rafael Nadal of Spain waves to the crowd after being defeated by Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic in their men's singles quarter-final match at the Australian Open 2015 tennis tournament in Melbourne January 27, 2015. REUTERS/Thomas Peter REUTERS/Thomas Peter

Rafael Nadal has started on some training sessions to get back into tennis shape. Nadal recently shared snaps of his training routine in his hometown Mallorca on social media.

The 14-time grand slam champion is eager to avoid slump following his Australian Open defeat 6-2 6-0 7-6 (5) to Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals. He posted pictures of him hitting a few balls on an outdoor clay court in Mallorca. “Back to my practice sessions and back to the clay, in a cloudy day in Mallorca,” Nadal wrote on Facebook.

Many fans were saddened about Nadal’s early exit in the first grand slam tournament of 2015. However, Nadal still managed to make it in the last eight, which is remarkable enough considering the struggles he had experienced last season. Nadal has only played seven matches after Wimbledon in the 2014 season after battling wrist injury and appendicitis.

Speaking after his quarterfinal loss at the Australian Open, Nadal revealed that he has already written off his chances of winning the trophy at Melbourne Park. He was thankful that he made it in the quarterfinals and vowed to keep working hard to get back to his top form.

“That’s just be beginning of the season, and I want to keep having the chances to compete well against everybody,” Nadal said. “I need to keep working the way that I am doing for me to be ready for the next.”

According to Nadal, the season is still young so he will have his opportunities to win big again. He added that he is aware that comeback from injury or illness can indeed present a tough situation but he is ready to accept and be strong about the outcomes of the tournament that he will be competing with.

Spanish claycourt king Nadal is expected to return to Rio de Janeiro to defend his title from Feb. 16 to Feb. 21. Nadal defeated 6-3 7-6(3) Alexandr Dogopolov of Ukraine last year in Rio.

Nadal has also confirmed his participation at the Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour 250 claycourt event in Buenos Aires on Feb. 23. It will be the first time since 2005 that Nadal will return to Argentina.

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