Rafael Nadal returns to the city where his Roland Garros reign ended with a restoration plan in hand.
Fresh off his sixth final of the season in Basel, Nadal says regaining the love of the practice court is restoring his confidence in match play.
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Nadal conceded a confidence crisis following flagging results, including an early exit at Wimbledon left, him pondering pulling the plug before the year-end World Tour Finals.
The sixth-ranked Spaniard said feelings of self doubt left him uncertain if he would even contest the year-end event in London given spiraling results and the fact it's played on his least favorite surface.
"It was not physical, it was mental," Nadal told the media at the BNP Paribas Masters Paris. "If I was not enjoying on court and not feeling competitive, so it would probably not make sense to play on the toughest surface for me. I play to enjoy (myself) and to be 100 percent competitive."
Runner-up appearances in Beijing, where he lost to world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, and Basel, where he fell to hometown hero Roger Federer on Sunday, have helped Rafa rebuild confidence while refining his game on the practice court.
"The story now is different, no? I'm enjoying on the court," Nadal said. "I don't have the nerves I had during the season. Doesn't matter if I lose, I win, but I'm enjoying on court, on practice court, so I'm going to be there."
"I always believed that I was going to be in the top eight at the end of the season, but always with the respect," Nadal said. "Even if I had the tough moments this year, I knew the year is long and normally I would have some good weeks to qualify."
Continuing to work on his return of serve, transition game and net play, Nadal partnered veteran Leander Paes in the Paris doubles draw. The pair lost to Dominic Inglot and Robert Lindstedt, 6-3, 6-4 in 62 minutes.
The seventh-seeded Nadal will play either compatriot Guillermo Garcia-Lopez or qualifier Lukas Rosol, whom he defeated in a testy Basel clash, in his singles opener.
Nadal says playing doubles encourages him to play with more aggression under less pressure.
"For the return, it's important for me, and returning more inside the court," Nadal said. "And in doubles there is a little bit less pressure. So that helps. Helps you for the volley, too, and to get a little bit quicker."
Photo credit: FFT/BNP Paribas Masters Paris