MADRID (AFP) - Tennis star Rafael Nadal was all smiles on Wednesday, saying he felt fine as he left the Barcelona hospital where he underwent appendix surgery earlier this week.

"Everything went well. It was a simple, commonplace operation," said the 28-year-old world No. 3, who went under the knife on Monday.

"I'm doing fine," he reassured reporters.

But the 14-time Grand Slam winner would only answer "when I'm better" on questions concerning a return to the court. The Mallorcan said before surgery on Monday he would need five weeks to recover.

Nadal ended his season after a quarter-final loss at the Swiss Indoors last month, missing last week's Paris Masters and the season-closing World Tour Finals starting on Sunday in London.

The Spaniard hopes to be fully fit again in time for the first of next year's four Grand Slam events - the Australian Open in Melbourne which starts in mid-January.