Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.

There have hardly been any true days off for Rafael Nadal, with the Spaniard even squeezing in a Christmas Day training session under the eye of coach Toni as the 29-year-old Spaniard prepares to wipe the slate clean for a 2016 season start.

Nadal later flew into Abu Dhabi to prepare for the rich New Year exhibition with the Roland Garros ace headlining the non-official event which runs from December 31 to January 2. Nadal has a bye at the six-man exhibition, where he is due to face the winner from David Ferrer or Jo Wilfried Tsonga.

Nadal owns two Abu Dhabi titles at the winner-take-all tournament worth a quarter of a million dollars. He is hoping to carry closing momentum from 2015 into his fresh start, “A new season is a new opportunity for success and I am looking forward to getting started in Abu Dhabi,” the Spaniard told local media.

“The Mubadala World Tennis Championship is an event I always enjoy and it’s great to be returning to action with the world’s top players in the UAE capital.

“I’m happy to see new faces entering the tournament this year which shows it continues to grow and offer a new challenge for us players. I’m looking forward to spending time with the local crowds, they are always very supportive.”

Nadal told Spanish television that he has put 2015 behind: “I accept things the way they are and I accept that it was not a good year but it was not so bad. Every year and every match is different, this was not my year, and I accept it, you are not perfect and you cannot be always on top. I had bad moments not because of injuries but due to anxiety, an anxiety that I never felt.

“I lost control of my emotions on the court, it was frustrating at times but I always tried to keep going match after match, but I had that anxiety for more than half of the season this year and I couldn´t overcome it during that time.”

Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.