Rafael Nadal may be fit for Masters finals

Rafael Nadal may be able to play at the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, which are staged at the O2 Arena.

In the latest contribution to the ongoing debate over Nadal's injured knee, Nadal's uncle and coach Toni Nadal raised hopes on Wednesday that the world No 4 would be in London.

Speaking to Fox Sports, the man universally known as Uncle Toni claimed that "in 15 days, Rafa will resume training, in time for him to aim to play in the Masters [ie the World Tour Finals] and the final of the Davis Cup".

Rafael has not been seen at a tennis tournament since his surprise loss to Lukas Rosol in the second round of Wimbledon. He has been battling inflammation in his left knee, and his own comments on his prognosis have been less optimistic than his uncle's.

"I hope you see me in Australia [in January]," said Nadal last month. "That is the biggest goal for me, to come back just before then in Qatar, but I cannot say for sure it is going to happen. I want to be 100 per cent when I come back."

Meanwhile, Andy Murray is easing into his work in Tokyo, where he posted the simplest of victories against Slovakia's Lukas Lacko yesterday. Murray lost only two of the first 22 points as he sprinted through a 56-minute match. The scoreline had a one-sided look at the end: 6-1, 6-2.

In tomorrow's quarter-finals of the Japan Open, Murray will play Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka. This match is unlikely to be so easy, as Wawrinka is the world No?16. He also has the distinction of being the last man to beat Murray in the first week of a Grand Slam, at the 2010 US Open.