The tennis player Rafa Nadal leads the Spanish team that faces from Saturday the new ATP Cup in Perth , a natural paradise and breathes tennis, with ambition and "excitement" to fight the tournament, without thinking of it being a "preparation" for the Australian Open that will come next.

"It's great to be in Perth and I'm excited to play the ATP Cup. People are very supportive of tennis across the country, and it's exciting to share this competition with excellent teammates. We want to do well," said world number one in statements collected by the ATP website.

Nadal, Roberto Bautista, Pablo Carreño and Feliciano López form the Spanish team that will seek to go far in this ATP World Cup, one month after winning the Davis Cup, the traditional Tennis World Cup in that fight between ITF and ATP. Spain will debut on Saturday against Georgia, within a Group B that also shares with Japan and Uruguay.

" We will do everything possible to prepare for the competition , I think we are all training well. We are a team that will do its best, but there are others who are also preparing to do so," he said, making clear the importance of the first edition of the ATP Cup.

" We do not take this competition as preparation for another , even if the Australian Open is just around the corner. It is a tournament in which we want to compete well, and then we will have a week before the Australian Open," he added, without become obsessed with the first 'big' that will begin on January 20.

The Spanish team celebrated the New Year on Wednesday with a helicopter visit to the mythical Rottnest Island , to meet the quokkas, take a bath and enjoy a barbecue with the Western Australia authorities and the media.

"Rottnest is really amazing. For us, it was a little early to wake up with the time lag that still affects us, but the beaches and wildlife are something we will remember for a long time. The quokkas are super friendly and they were not afraid of being close . We had a little fun with them, "Nadal said.

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