Rafa Nadal to play in Abu Dhabi

Rafa Nadal [ Images ] is scheduled to play in an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi in December, organisers said in a statement.

The world number four has not played since losing to Czech Lukas Rosol in the second round at Wimbledon [ Images ] in June and has been suffering from a partial tear of the patella tendon and inflammation of the left knee.

The 11-times Grand Slam winner was unable to defend his Olympic [ Images ] title in London [ Images ] and had to withdraw from the US Open [ Images ].

The Spaniard is set to join a high-profile field including Novak Djokovic [ Images ] and Andy Murray [ Images ] for the three-day Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi which gets underway on December 27.