Rafael Nadal set to return to court in Next Gen ATP Finals
Former world number one Rafael Nadal is set to make his
first appearance in professional tennis after retiring from the sport. The
38-year-old is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men’s
tennis in the singles category, having won as many as 22 Grand Slam titles in
his illustrious career.
Nadal has retired from professional tennis in the recent
past after taking part in the Davis Cup, largely because of fitness concerns.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner returned to the court earlier this year after
spending nearly 12 months on the sidelines. His final appearance on the tennis
court was against Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp, where he ended up on the
losing side in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-4.
Nadal is now set to make his first appearance in tennis
after quitting the sport in the upcoming Next Gen ATP Finals. The mega-event is
set to be organised from December 18-22 in Saudi Arabia. Nadal was recently
quoted in a Forbes report where he expressed excitement to participate in the
mega-event.
“Everywhere you look in Saudi Arabia, you can see
growth and progress and I’m excited to be part of that,” he said. “I continue
to play tennis as I love the game. But beyond playing I want to help the sport
grow far and wide across the world and in Saudi there is real potential.”
It will be the seventh edition of the competition, where the
prize money will be more than $2 million. The criteria for qualification in
the event is that the players must be 20 years or younger at the time of qualification. Last year, Hamad Medjedovic of Serbia lifted the title after beating
France’s Arthur Fils in the final in a five-set thriller with a score of 3-4,
4-1, 4-2, 3-4, 4-1.