Rafael Nadal is confident he will recover from an abdominal injury in time for the Masters Cup next month.

The French Open champion travels to Shanghai next week to prepare for the season-ending tournament after withdrawing from the Paris Masters.

"I started to notice it (the injury) on Thursday, but I didn't think about withdrawing because I thought it was only stiffness," Nadal said yesterday. "But on Saturday morning I felt it and decided to have the scan."

The scan revealed a small tear to the abdominal muscle.

"With this type of injury you have to be careful because you don't want it to become worse."

Though Nadal hasn't advanced beyond the quarterfinals of any tournament since his Wimbledon final defeat to Roger Federer, the Spaniard is confident of his chances at the Masters Cup.

"Maybe I haven't played well of late, but I believe I'm confident I can start showing it in Shanghai," he said.

(Shanghai Daily October 31, 2006)