Rafael Nadal said he's "feeling great" heading into his first U.S. Open since recovering from an injury that prevented him from playing in the 2014 major tournament.
"I'm feeling great," he told TODAY's Savannah Guthrie. "I'm fully recovered and after one year ready to come back."
Nadal said that despite not having "the best month after coming back from the injury," he's feeling "mentally fresh" and has "a lot of energy and a lot of motivation" to carry him through the tournament in Queens.
Nadal, often called the "King of Clay" for his nine French Open titles, not only talked about his game, but also showed Guthrie how it's done, on a special Tommy Hilfiger court in Bryant Park.
Besides focusing on his game (and posing for those popular Tommy Hilfiger underwear ads), Nadal is also working with his project to promote tennis and education, the Rafa Nadal Acedemy, based in his hometown of Mallorca, Spain.
Nadal will kick off his U.S. Open bid on Monday, the first day of competition, as the tournament's eighth seed.