Rafael Nadal has accepted a wild card into the Citi Open, the tournament announced Thursday. The Spaniard will compete in the ATP 500, to take place in Washington, D.C. from 2-8 August, for the first time.
“I am very excited to come to Washington for the first time,” Nadal said according to a tournament press release. “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. Looking forward to seeing again my U.S. fans that I haven’t seen since I won the 2019 US Open in NYC! Vamos!”
Nadal joins a loaded field that includes Canadian stars Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime, Hubert Hurkacz, Nick Kyrgios, Jannik Sinner, Sebastian Korda, Milos Raonic, Kei Nishikori, Aslan Karatsev and plenty more.
“We are thrilled to welcome Rafael Nadal, who is not just one of the greatest tennis players of all-time, but also a global sporting icon and inspiring role model to our Washington community this summer,” Citi Open Chairman and CEO of MDE Tennis Mark Ein said. “I can’t imagine a better way to celebrate the joyous return of the things we cherish like live sports, coming together as a community and our historic event than having Rafa and the rest of our very deep and exciting player field competing for the Citi Open title.”
This will be Nadal’s first tournament since reaching the Roland Garros semi-finals in June. The World No. 3 has a 23-4 record on the season and he will chase his third crown after the season following triumphs in Barcelona and Rome.
Players who have lifted the Citi Open trophy include Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, Lleyton Hewitt, Ivan Lendl, Andy Roddick and Guillermo Vilas.
“I am very excited to come to Washington for the first time,” Nadal said according to a tournament press release. “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. Looking forward to seeing again my U.S. fans that I haven’t seen since I won the 2019 US Open in NYC! Vamos!”
Nadal joins a loaded field that includes Canadian stars Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime, Hubert Hurkacz, Nick Kyrgios, Jannik Sinner, Sebastian Korda, Milos Raonic, Kei Nishikori, Aslan Karatsev and plenty more.
“We are thrilled to welcome Rafael Nadal, who is not just one of the greatest tennis players of all-time, but also a global sporting icon and inspiring role model to our Washington community this summer,” Citi Open Chairman and CEO of MDE Tennis Mark Ein said. “I can’t imagine a better way to celebrate the joyous return of the things we cherish like live sports, coming together as a community and our historic event than having Rafa and the rest of our very deep and exciting player field competing for the Citi Open title.”
This will be Nadal’s first tournament since reaching the Roland Garros semi-finals in June. The World No. 3 has a 23-4 record on the season and he will chase his third crown after the season following triumphs in Barcelona and Rome.
Players who have lifted the Citi Open trophy include Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, Lleyton Hewitt, Ivan Lendl, Andy Roddick and Guillermo Vilas.