Nadal set for Asian exhibition after minimal rest

Nadal set for Asian exhibition after minimal rest Rafael Nadal is set to drag himself to Asia in less than a week as the tennis grind resumes for the Spaniard as he plays an exhibition with compatriot David Ferrer in tennis-starved Taiwan.

Less than a fortnight after Maria Sharapova and Vera Zvonareva stopped off on the island for a quick-hit payday, Nadal and his compatriot will be doing the same at their October 1 hit-and-giggle.

Despite his complaints in recent weeks about the relentless grind of the circuit, with no rest for the weary elite, the world No. 2 faces off prior to a tournament entry at the ATP Japan Open in Tokyo, which starts two days later.

The scenario is similar to Nadal's movements last autumn, when he hopped down to Thailand for a holiday at Hin Hua before competing as the drawcard at the Thailand Open. He was put out in the semifinals here by unheralded compatriot Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

He soldiered on, winning Tokyo over Gael Monfils but hitting the wall in the Shanghai third round in a loss to Austrian Jurgen Melzer.

Taiwan is turning into something of a prime spot for exhos, with former aces Andre Agassi and Marat Safin playing for big money earlier in the year.