World no.5 Rafael Nadal is all set to play his first tournament after winning the Australian Open 2022 title as he takes on Reilly Opelka of the USA in the opening round of the ATP 500 event Abierto Mexicano Telcel to be played here at the Arena GNP Seguros.
The 21-time grand slam champion will enter the tournament as the fourth seed. Nadal and Opelka are meeting each other for the second time. The last time they met each other was in the semi-finals of Rome Masters 2021, the Spaniard winning it 6-4, 6-4.
The 35-year old Spaniard is high on confidence after winning the Melbourne Summer Set-1 tournament followed by the Australian Open 2022 to take his grand slam tally to a record 21 leaving behind Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. The three-time Acapulco winner will chase the fourth crown in Mexico.
On the other hand, Reilly Opelka started the year with a first-round defeat at the Melbourne Summer Set 1. He followed this up by reaching the semi-finals of the Melbourne Summer Set-2, where he lost to Andy Murray. The American lost to Denis Shapovalov in four sets in the third round. Opelka, who is known for his big serve, won the title in Dallas last week.
US Open champion Daniil Medvedev, Tokyo Olympics gold medallist, French Open 2021 finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas, Wimbledon 2021 finalist Matteo Berrettini are also playing in the ATP 500 event.
( With inputs from ANI )
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