Madrid, Dec 6 (IANS): Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal has returned to training and has set his sights on the tournaments in Abu Dhabi and Doha to try and prove his fitness ahead of the Australian Open in January.

"I began to train two days ago and yesterday, I played tennis for the first time. It is a strange feeling as I didn't have much rhythm and my body hurt, but that is nothing unusual," Nadal was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

"I hope now to be able to train well in December and lay the foundation for when the tournaments in Abu Dhabi and Doha start, so I can use those to recover my rhythm," explained Nadal.

The World No.3 explained that although he could train well it was "the tension of competition' which makes the difference.

"I want to be able to recover the feeling of hitting the ball and knowing it will go in," the 28-year-old said, explaining the wrist injury was less serious than the knee problem he had shaken off in 2103.

"In that case, I couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel, now all I need to do is work. I will see what my realistic aims are as the weeks go by, but my aim is to get into shape and find form and if I am able to compete in Abu Dhabi and Doha, my aim is to be competitive in Australia," explained the Spaniard.