Abu Dhabi, Dec 29 (IANS): Spanish tennis great Rafael Nadal has said that he will skip the match for third place at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship as a precaution.

The 32-year-old Nadal returned to the court here on Friday for the first time since injury forced him to retire from a US Open semi-final against Juan Martin del Potro on September 7, reports Efe.

Last month, he underwent surgery on his right ankle after dealing with knee and abdominal issues.

"I will not play. I will take a couple of days off ahead of the new season," Nadal told a press conference here on Friday.

"This tournament, it was a goal to be here. I am very happy to have been here. I cannot thank enough the tournament organization for the understanding," Nadal said, adding that he aims to reach optimum form in time for the Australian Open, which begins on January 14.

After losing 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to South Africa's Kevin Anderson in the Mubadala semi-final, Nadal was supposed to face Russia's Karen Khachanov in the third place match.

Anderson and Novak Djokovic will meet in the final on Saturday.