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Rafael Nadal is set to make a comeback at the Madrid Open after recovering from a rib injury that sidelined him for a month. Nadal is a five-time champion in Madrid and will be competing at the event for the 19th time. Nadal had been recovering from a stress fracture he sustained while playing at Indian Wells in March.
In the final, the defeat against American Taylor Fritz ended Nadal's winning streak of 20 games. Taking to Twitter, Nadal wrote, "Despite arriving with minimum preparation and knowing that it will be difficult, I am very excited to play in front of a home crowd, even with few chances to win." He added further that he would try his best, "See you in Madrid," he tweeted.
Despite his inactivity, Nadal enjoys his lead in ATP Race to Turin behind his 20-1 start to the season. Nadal enjoyed a career-best start to the season with a 20-match win streak, claiming titles at Melbourne, the Australian Open and Acapulco before his Indian Wells final run.
The Spaniard holds a 54-13 record at the Madrid event, which switched from hard court to clay in 2009. Notably, Nadal made his debut at 16 in 2003 and won his first title in 2005. In the 2021 tournament, he met Carlos Alzaraz for the first time and scored a dominant win in the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, Roger Federer has also made it clear that he will participate in singles at the ATP Basel indoor. The former world number one confirmed on Tuesday that he would participate in the ATP 500 event scheduled to take place from October 24 to 30. "Looking forward to playing back home," wrote Federer via an Instagram story.