Barcelona: Rafael Nadal is set to resume training after curing a hamstring injury that contributed to the end of a tennis dream at the Australian Open.
The world No.1 Spaniard confirmed on Tuesday that he's back to fitness during a presentation for the spring Barcelona clay event, which he won for five straight years from 2005 to 2009.
Nadal missed out on a chance to own all four Grand Slam titles simultaneously when he was beaten last month by compatriot David Ferrer in a quarter-final upset at the Australian Open.
Nadal admitted later that he shed private tears over the disappointing end to his campaign for a further place in tennis history.
"I was crying in the locker room. I hate to go out of the tournament," the winner of the prestigious Laureus world sport award for 2010 had said on Monday.
"From the third game, I knew I didn't have a chance to win," he noted. "David was playing fantastic and I wasn't able to run enough to rise to the level to beat him."
But the good news for the Spaniard is that he's now able to return to the practice court at home on the island of Mallorca, with plans to be ready for Spain's Davis Cup first-round date in the first week of March away versus Belgium.
"I feel quite good, I am going home to begin training on the courts. I will begin training slowly. I want to follow a plan, with no setbacks," Nadal said.