Rafael Nadal will remain on antibiotics and hopes to keep playing as he continues to battle a bout of appendicitis.

The Spanish world number two was diagnosed with the condition last Sunday but decided to play at the Shanghai Masters, where he suffered a second-round defeat to compatriot Feliciano Lopez.

Nadal ruled out undergoing surgery to remove his appendix after that loss and, according to the ATP World Tour’s official website, wants to see out the season.

An article on www.atpworldtour. com yesterday read: “ Rafael Nadal will remain on antibiotics for appendicitis for at least five more days after visiting the Clinica Mapfre de Medicina del Tenis in Barcelona, on his way home to Mallorca.”

It added that the 28 year old “hopes to be fit” to fulfil his remaining commitments this year – he is scheduled to play at the Swiss Indoors Basel, Paris Masters and ATP World Tour Finals in London.

Nadal made his return from a wrist injury late last month, but could only reach the quarter-finals of the China Open in Beijing.