Rafael Nadal will be taking a break after he tries to win another Grand slam title at the Australian Open.

The second-ranked Spaniard said he will take February off to recover from a shoulder injury that occurred sometime before the ATP World Tour Finals in November.

Nadal, who won the French Open and helped lead Spain to the Davis Cup title last season, said that he was still "not 100 percent."

Nadal is in Abu Dhabi to defend his title at the World Tennis Championships.

"I had a problem before London with my shoulder and I had to stop for about 10 days before the (ATP) finals," Nadal said. "It felt better but again it resurfaced. In December, I did not have enough time to practice because of that."

Nadal will play the winner of a match between Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and David Ferrer in the semifinals on Friday.

If Nadal can make it through the two-day event in Abu Dhabi he plans to play at the Qatar Open in Doha next week. After the Australian Open, which starts Jan. 16, Nadal will be out of competition in February for rest and practice.

Nadal finished the 2011 season with a record of 69-15 and lost to Novak Djokovic in the finals of Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Despite the two Grand Slam finals setbacks and Djokovic's rise to No. 1, Nadal is not ready to change much about his game.

"This is not the time to change many things. This is the time to keep playing well, to keep improving my tennis," Nadal said. "I will just try and be competitive in all the tournaments. I was competitive in all the tournaments and was in three Grand Slam finals."

Copyright © 2011 AHN - All Rights Reserved