Spanish ace and current World No.2, Rafael Nadal is set to kickstart his 2021 campaign by playing the ATP Cup in preparation for the Australian Open. Nadal who is currently in Melbourne is gearing up for a long season ahead this year. While these were confirmed, not many people had any idea of his schedule after the Australian Open. However, now the Spaniard has confirmed that he will feature in the ATP 500 event at Rotterdam.
The last time Nadal played in the Rotterdam Open was way back in 2009 and it has been twelve years since then and the 34-year old is set to return. Nadal himself was also very excited about the return as he said, “I am looking forward to returning to the Netherlands. It has been a long time since I went to play in Rotterdam. This year, the season has a difficult calendar and in this case, it fits well into my schedule. It’s a tournament that I like to play and hopefully, be in their honours roll. I hope to see again all my Dutch friends and fans in Rotterdam.”
Nadal joins a long list of top tennis players who are also gearing up for the Dutch event this year. Apart from the Spaniard, the event will see the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Kei Nishikori, Stanislas Wawrinka, Gael Monfils and Jannik Sinner go up against each other. While the organizers are still trying to convince Roger Federer to choose Rotterdam as the venue for his return to the tour.
However the match that Tennis fans will be looking forward to is the one between Stan Wawrinka and Rafael Nadal. The duo has not played each other since 2019. Despite Nadal’s dominance against the Swiss, people will hope that Stan can bring his best game to Rotterdam to challenge the Spaniard and turn the tide in his favour.
Another match-up which can also be interesting is Nadal going up against Daniil Medvedev. The Russian defeated Nadal in their last meeting in a thriller at the 2020 ATP Finals. So it will be a great chance for the 34-year old to seek revenge in the Netherlands later this year. Therefore it is perfectly poised to become one of the matches to look out for.
With some exciting prospects and some seasoned professionals, the Rotterdam Open is beautifully set up to be a classic tournament later this year. The matchups are very interesting and fans around the world will definitely be on the edge of their seats cheering for their favourite stars as the action begins from 1st March.
