Rafa Nadal arrives at the Madrid Masters 1000 tournament in good form despite having otitis

Spanish tennis player Rafa Nadal stated on Monday that he is arriving at the Madrid Masters 1000 tournament "in good form" and that he will be able to compete well, despite a last-minute otitis that is causing him "discomfort".

"The feelings are good, I come with a good dynamic, I have been training and competing well for several consecutive months and that gives you peace of mind to face the events," Nadal said at a press conference on Monday. The recent winner of Monte Carlo and the Barcelona tournament aims to win his fifth Madrid title, following those of 2005, 2010, 2013, and 2014.

The Spanish tennis player was expecting to start his journey in the tournament today against Italian Fabio Fognini, but after suffering otitis, he considered it best to start on Wednesday. "It's nothing important, but it's the first time it happens to me. It's annoying, it gives you a headache, and sometimes you feel a little dizzy," explained Nadal, stating that his ear problems started in the early hours of Friday.

Training without problems

"I feel better than yesterday, I train normally, I don't think it's a problem," he added, before stating that "the intention was to play on Tuesday, but with this, I think it's better to start on Wednesday."

When asked about Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray's inconsistent start to the season, the Spanish tennis player did not hesitate to affirm that "from the best players in the world, you always expect the best, (and this inconsistency) will not be what will happen for the rest of the season." "For several circumstances, some matches that could have gone their way haven't, but that doesn't mean they are different players, perhaps superior to everyone else," he said.

"I have no doubt that they will be fighting for everything from now on," Nadal added, who also didn't want to comment on Djokovic's decision to change coaches. "If he believes he needed that, it is clear that it is the right decision," Nadal said, recalling that he has never changed teams, so "I can't analyze how it could affect Novak's game."