Rafael Nadal, who was absent from Montreal, confirmed on Thursday that he will return to competition next week in Cincinnati.
• Also read: Rafael Nadal withdraws from the Montreal tournament
A month after giving up playing the semifinals at Wimbledon last month, the world number three announced on his Instagram account that he would be making the journey to the seventh Masters 1000 tournament of 2022.
“I’m delighted to be back playing in Cincy,” he wrote before leaving his native Spain on Thursday.
The first row in view
Forced into inactivity due to an abdominal tear, Nadal was due to stop in Montreal to compete in the National Bank Open but was forced to retire a few days before the start of the tournament.
His presence in Cincinnati will serve as his preparation for the United States Open tennis tournament, which begins later this month, where he will seek to add a 23rd Major title to his dazzling record.
However, a win in the finals in Cincinnati, a competition he has only won once (2013), would allow him to climb to the top spot in the world rankings if current champion Daniil Medvedev does not reach the quarterfinals at the same tournament.
As a reminder, the Russian was eliminated from the start by Australian Nick Kyrgios in three sets 6-7, 6-4, 6-2 in Montreal on Wednesday.
Kudos to Kyrgios
Speaking of Medvedev, he was quite polite when asked to comment on Kyrgios’ performance in Montreal.
“I’ve seen him very focused and he’s been showing a good determination to win games for a while now.
“Right now he can beat anyone. He played at an incredible level in Montreal and was just better than me on the pitch.
“The way things are going Nick will be at the top at the United States Open in Flushing Meadows. »