"That self-confidence of me belonging in this group of new young guys is something that I've gained more and more at least, especially the last couple of months with back-to-back semi finals."
Federer returned to the courts in March, having been out for more than a year following two knee surgeries, winning his first match in Qatar before losing his second.
Rublev, up 6-1, 5-2, was unable to convert three match points before the players had to leave the court for the second of two rain delays, but he wasted no time in closing out the match when play resumed.
The pandemic has already impacted the 2021 calendar, delaying the Australian Open and forcing the Indian Wells tournament in California -- the traditional lead-in to the Miami Open -- out of its usual slot in March.
Nadal is looking to edge ahead of Roger Federer who also has 20 Slam titles to his name, with the injured Swiss not playing in Melbourne. He plans to return to the ATP Tour at Doha next month.
"Obviously at this point, they are not going to get on-court preparation. But we'll access that, we'll work with each of the players to see what is best.
