Abu Dhabi : The world's number two tennis player Rafael Nadal is a staunch supporter of Real Madrid, but he could not help but applaud Barcelona's feat of clinching a historic sixth successive trophy in 2009 at the Fifa Club World Cup played in Abu Dhabi.
"For sure I am still a Real Madrid fan. But I congratulate the Barcelona team, they did everything right and won everything. It is very difficult for any team to do better.
"I just hope the Barca team, their fans and the city of Barcelona enjoy this moment," said Nadal.
Nadal said he returned to play here in the Capitala World Tennis Championship after a good experience last time out.
"I enjoyed the experience here. It is always a challenge to play the best players of the world and it is the first tournament of the year.
Goal
"For me the only goal is to try to enjoy and I should try and play well," said the Spanish ace who started the year as number one but lost that spot to Roger Federer at the end of the season.
Praising the city, Nadal said, "Abu Dhabi is a big city and it is growing every year. And lots of things have changed since we came here last time."
"We [Nadal and Federer] played a few shots today and the facilities are great. It is unbelievable. So for us and for tennis, to be playing the first tournament over here is very good and I am happy to be here," Nadal said.
Competition
Nadal refused to accept that the competition over the recent years was mainly between him and Federer and said, "When I go to a tournament and see the draw, I am not only watching Roger. I watch every round and that is changing now.
"Before, there were big players and now there are a lot of good players. I don't think that a few years back it was only Roger and me. The competition has always been tough.
"In the past also there were many who had a chance to win a Grand Slam and that will be so even in the future," said Nadal, who makes his appearance in the semifinal today.
