's the last major of the season so I hope to have a good event , '' Nadal said . Nadal , who was knocked out of the U.S. Open at the semifinal stage by Britain 's Andy Murray last year , said he considers himself lucky in terms of injuries that have affected his career . `` If you 're playing at 100 percent , always at the limit , it is normal that you get injuries . I had nearly four years of perfect fitness while playing a lot of matches . Injuries sometimes happen so you have to accept that and try and recover as quickly as possible . '' But the Majorca-born player admitted it has been difficult to cede ground to his rivals while unable to play and he is keen to prove a point in New York . `` Roger has done an unbelievable job - he deserved the 15 grand slams and I ca n't congratulate him enough . I miss the competition but not the challenge of playing Roger ! `` The atmosphere in New York is great , the crowd is more educated than many other events , so I like
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Former world number one , Rafael Nadal , has exclusively told CNN his levels of fitness ahead of the U.S. Open are `` better than expected , '' boosting his chances of becoming only the seventh man in history to win a career grand slam with victory at Flushing Meadows . Titans of tennis , Rafael Nadal -LRB- left -RRB- and Roger Federer -LRB- right -RRB- , will be both keen to capture the U.S. Open title . The Spaniard , who dropped to third-best in the world after being sidelined for over two months with a knee injury , said he was pleased with his physical preparation for the major that starts on August 31 . `` I 'm very happy as I arrive here feeling better than I expected I would a few weeks ago , '' the 23-year-old said , who came through two warm-up events recently for the hard-court tournament without any further reaction . Watch Nadal 's interview with CNN . '' `` I had a really good time in Cincinnati and a good tournament in Montreal . `` But playing in New York is always a special feeling and it