Rafael Nadal has 'light years' to travel

Nadal: playing at the French Open seems "light years away" (EPA)

Rafa Nadal says playing at the French Open seems "light years away" after returning to singles action for the first time since last year's Wimbledon.

Nadal beat Argentina's Federico Delbonis 6-3, 6-2 at the Chile Open on Wednesday, but showed his rustiness by dropping the first two games.

The world No 5 said: "Roland Garros is light years away. Roland Garros is a very important event, but I never think about it until I get there. It doesn't matter if I arrive ranked No 15, 20, 30 or 40. All that matters is I can play like I did before and my physical condition is 100 per cent. My object is to be able to compete at the highest level as soon as possible."

Nadal and Juan Monaco reached the semi-finals of the doubles tournament with a 6-2, 7-6 win over Guillaume Ruffin and Filippo Volandri.