'I came close to breaking,' he said. 'I wanted to play Madrid, but now I think it was a mistake.'

The 23-year-old cleared the air about the recent separation of his parents, saying that the personal event did not affect his tennis.

'My family was always very supportive in my career,' Nadal said. 'These changes are somewhat difficult to digest. But that's not what affected me. The real problem was my knees.'

He said that returning to the game will be a gradual affair, perhaps with sharply redefined priorities.

'My main objective is not to regain the number one ranking. My main goal is to be well and happy to be playing tennis,' Nadal said.

'I'm mentally ready to return now. That was not the case a month ago (when he pulled from his Wimbledon title defence). The rest was perfect for the knees...'