Rafael Nadal to return to action at Citi Open in D.C.

Spanish Tennis player Rafael Nadal will compete in the Citi Open, a hard-court tournament in Washington, D.C., this summer.

The tournament confirmed on Thursday that Rafael Nadal will compete from July 31 to August 8. Since losing to Serbian Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the French Open on June 11, the 20-time Grand Slam winner has been dormant.

When Nadal, 35, announced his desire to forego Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics, he chose to take a physical and mental break. Rest is hoped to be beneficial to the Spaniard as he prepares for the U.S. Open. The US Open will be held in New York from August 30 to September 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.”

Nick Kyrgios of Australia, the 2019 Citi Open winner, is in the competition, as are Milos Raonic of Canada and Kei Nishikori of Japan, both former Citi Open champions.

Last year’s Citi Open was cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak and international travel restrictions.

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