Rafael Nadal to play in Rio Open next year

Rio de Janeiro - World No.2 Rafael Nadal of Spain has confirmed his presence at next year’s inaugural Rio Open tennis tournament, Brazilian tennis officials said.

The ATP 500 event will be played at the Jockey Club Brasileiro in Rio de Janeiro Feb 15-23, reports Xinhua.

It will come almost a year to the day after Nadal won the Brazil Open in Sao Paulo, his first tournament victory after a seven-month injury layoff.

“I am very excited about playing for the first time in Rio de Janeiro,” the 13-time Grand Slam winner said.

“I have heard many good things about the city, and now I finally have the opportunity to be there.”

Nadal, whose ranking fell to No.5 in February, has climbed back to No.2 following his French and US Open victories this year.