The Spaniard was forced to retire from his Australian Open quarter-final clash with Thomas Berdych because of a thigh injury.
He was expected to miss the Mexican Open at the end of the month to allow his body to fully recover.
But after winning the Sportsperson of the Year award at the Mundo Deportivo Grand Gala last night, he claimed that he hopes to be back for the Acapulco tournament.
Because of Roger Federer’s success at the Australian Open, Nadal’s lead at the top of the ATP World Rankings stands at 155 points.
If the Spaniard does not enter, or fails to reach the semi-finals in Mexico, and Federer wins the Dubai Open in the same week, then the Swiss star will leapfrog his rival to top spot.
And that is something Nadal does not want to happen.
“It’s a small injury that needs time and rest and recovery, and that’s what we’re doing,” Nadal said during his speech at last night’s awards Gala.
“For the moment my schedule is the same and I think I’ll be able to travel to Mexico to play at Acapulco.”
The Mexican Open is set to start on February 26 and Nadal is hoping to avenge last year’s final defeat against Sam Querrey.
Nadal last won the competition in 2013 when he beat David Ferrer in straight sets.