MADRID - Spain's Rafa Nadal was expected to return from a knee injury at the masters tennis event at Indian Wells in March, Spanish local reported said on Monday.

The world No 4 will return to action at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi.

"I need to see how it improves and how it reacts to the intensity and demands of playing with tennis players of such a high level," Nadal said in an interview with Spanish daily ABC on Sunday.

The Spaniard was diagnosed with a partial tear of the patella tendon and inflammation in his left knee after a second-round bounce-out at Wimbledon in June.

He missed the Olympic Games at London, the US Open and the season-ending World Tour championships before returning to the practice court on Nov 20.