Rafael Nadal's next match: Opponent, venue, live streaming, TV channel and schedule
Rafael Nadal will kickstart his 2022 Australian Open campaign on Monday with the aim of clinching a record-breaking 21st Major title. Nadal has been handed a tricky draw this year and will face American Marcos Giron in the first round.
The Spaniard is coming off a successful Melbourne Summer Set campaign where he lifted the trophy, defeating Maxime Cressy 7-6(6), 6-3. Nadal, who is admittedly yet to hit 100% in terms of physical preparedness, did not drop a set throughout the tournament.
The 2009 champion is seeded sixth in this year's tournament and has been placed in defending champion Novak Djokovic's half. The 35-year-old could lock horns with Alexander Zverev, Hubert Hurkacz, Thanasi Kokkinakis, and Karen Khachanov as he progresses through the rounds.
Nadal’s Australian Open Draw:
1R: Giron
2R: Kokkinakis/Q
3R: Khachanov
4R: Hurkacz/Karatsev
QF: Zverev/Shapovalov
SF: Djokovic/Berrettini
F: Medvedev/Tsitsipas
Nightmare
Where is Rafael Nadal playing?
Rafael Nadal will compete at the 2022 Australian Open, the year's opening Grand Slam. While the tournament features a host of top players, some big names are missing in action.
Six-time champion Roger Federer is out injured, and so is 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka.
2020 runner-up Dominic Thiem is also missing, and there remains an air of uncertainty regarding Novak Djokovic's participation due to his ongoing trial.
Nadal is a former champion himself (2009) and has finished as runner-up on four occasions. However, the Mallorcan has not made it past the quarterfinals in his previous two attempts.
Who is Rafael Nadal playing against?
The 20-time Major champion will face Marcos Giron in his first-round match on Monday. The two have never faced each other on tour before. Giron has also never progressed beyond the first round of the Australian Open in two previous attempts.
Unlike Nadal, the American has not made a solid start to his season. Giron lost both of his opening-round matches at the Melbourne Summer Set and Sydney International, losing to Ricardas Berankis and Jordan Thompson respectively in straight sets.
Rafael Nadal vs Marcos Giron match schedule
Day one on Rod Laver Arena:
Maria-Sakkari (not a typo)
Osorio-Osaka
Giron-Nadal
Barty-Tsurenko
Djokovic-Kecmanovic
MCA:
Ferro-Svitolina
Nakashima-Berrettini
Gauff-Wang
Zverev-Altmaier
Tomljanovic-Badosa
Nadal has been allotted the Day Session on Day 1 (17 January) and has unsurprisingly been scheduled to play at the Rod Laver Arena. The Spaniard's match against Giron is the third of the Day Session (after Tatjana Maria vs Maria Sakkari and Camila Osorio vs Naomi Osaka).
Match Timing: Not before 2:00 PM AEDT, Not before 3:00 AM GMT, Not before 7:00 PM Pacific Time.
Date: 17 January 2022.
Rafael Nadal vs Marcos Giron streaming details
Viewers from the following countries can catch all the action live on the respective channels and sites:
USA: For viewers in the USA, ESPN, ESPN2, and the Tennis Channel will broadcast all the first-round matches.
UK: UK viewers can follow the action on Eurosport.
India & Subcontinent: Viewers can watch the Spaniard in action on Sony Six.
Canada: Fans in Canada can watch the matches on TSN.