Will Rafa be at his best if he plays in London?

Rafael Nadal expects to be fit for the ATP World Tour finals in London despite withdrawing from the Paris Masters with tendinitis in his left shoulder. The 24-year-old Spaniard, who will end the year as world number one, said: “I am not worried at all about London. “It was not an easy decision [to pull out of Paris] because Paris is a special city for me. “But I have played all the season’s Masters and Grand Slams. I will be back to practice soon, before next Sunday.”

The finals begin at London’s 02 Arena on 21 November and Nadal is hoping for a strong performance after being eliminated without winning a set in 2009. “I’m going to do all in my hands to play well there,” said the Majorcan left-hander, who won this season’s French Open, Wimbledon and US Open titles. “It’s my goal to improve the image of last year in London.”

Nadal was due to be top seed in Paris but has not competed since 14 October, when he suffered a shock defeat by Jurgen Melzer in Shanghai. “It is nothing to be worried about but the doctor told me I have to spend those days doing intensive treatment and functional rehabilitation with physiotherapy,” the nine-time Grand Slam champion said in a statement on Friday. “I’m very sorry for the tournament organisers, who’ve always treated me in a very special way, and especially sorry for all my fans in France and in Paris that I won’t be able to be with them in one of my favourite cities in the world.”