Rafael Nadal will return to competition this summer at the Citi Open, a hard-court tournament in Washington, D.C.
The tournament announced Thursday that Nadal will join the field for the tournament from July 31-Aug. 8. The 20-time Grand Slam champion has been idle since losing to Serbian Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the French Open on June 11.
Nadal, 35, opted for a physical and mental break when he declared his intention to skip Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics. The hope is that rest will do wonders for the Spaniard as he heads into this U.S. Open tuneup. The U.S. Open in New York will run from Aug. 30-Sept. 12.
“I am very excited to come to Washington for the first time,” Nadal said in the statement. “I have never been there, and it’s one more place I wanted to come and play. I am looking forward to playing again, and Washington shall be the best start for the U.S. summer swing for me.”
Wimbledon semifinalists Denis Shapovalov of Canada and Hubert Hurkacz of Poland are also in the field for the Citi Open. Wimbledon quarterfinalists Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada and Karen Khachanov of Russia also are entered.
Rafael Nadal out of Wimbledon, Olympics
The field also includes 2019 Citi Open winner Nick Kyrgios of Australia and former Citi champions Milos Raonic of Canada and Kei Nishikori of Japan.
The Citi Open was canceled last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as international travel restrictions.
–Field Level Media