Nadal to Return to the Court

MADRID (AP) - Rafael Nadal has confirmed he is ready to return to competitive tennis at the end of the month in an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi, following a six-month break to recover from a knee injury.

The 11-time Grand Slam champion said on his Facebook page Tuesday that he "can't wait to get back on court in Abu Dhabi," and that he "would love to get my hands on the trophy again this year!"

The 26-year-old Nadal began practicing on a court in his hometown of Manacor on the Balearic island of Mallorca on Nov. 20 under the supervision of his uncle and coach Tony Nadal and a physiotherapist.

The Abu Dhabi tournament starts Dec. 27 and will feature a six-man field that also includes top-ranked Novak Djokovic and No. 3 Andy Murray of Britain.

Meanwhile, Djokovic and Serena Williams were honored today as the International Tennis Federation's world champions for 2012. Djokovic won the men's award for the second straight year, while Williams took the honor for the third time in her career.

Djokovic won the Australian Open and was runner-up at the French Open and U.S. Open. He finished the season No. 1 in the ATP rankings with six tour titles.

Williams won Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Olympic gold medal. She had a tour-best 58-4 record and seven titles.

American twins Bob and Mike Bryan were named men's doubles world champions for the ninth time in 10 years, while Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci of Italy took the women's doubles award.

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