Rafael Nadal wins Mubadala World Tennis Championship

Rafael Nadal started the year in winning fashion by beating Milos Raonic to lift the Mubadala World Tennis Championship for a third time.

Fourteen-time grand-slam champion Nadal showed encouraging signs that he could get back to something like his best towards the end of what was a frustrating 2015 and he claimed a morale-boosting victory in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

The Spaniard saw off big-serving Canadian Raonic 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 at Zayed Sports City's International Tennis Stadium to win the hard-court exhibition tournament for the first time in five years.

Nadal said this week that he believes he can be "very competitive" this year and tournament debutant Raonic was unable to deny the world number five, who wrapped up the first set in 54 minutes after dominating a tie-break.

Raonic was then broken in the fourth game of the second set and Nadal consigned him to defeat in a showdown that lasted an hour and a half.

David Ferrer had earlier beaten Stan Wawrinka 6-7 (1-7) 6-4 10-8 in a third-place play-off that was decided by a super tie-break.