As tennis fans eagerly await the return of Rafael Nadal, the 14-time Grand Slam champion’s 2017 schedule has been revealed. The current ninth-ranked Spaniard has committed to playing at least 19 tournaments in the upcoming season as he claws his way back to the top echelons.
It has largely been a forgettable 2016 for the former World No. 1 with a wrist injury wreaking havoc to his schedule. It forced him to skip the Wimbledon Championships, besides rendering him inactive for two months.
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The rushed return to play the Rio Olympics and his uninterrupted play following that did not work well for the 30-year-old, who had to call off his season early right after the Shanghai Masters in October.
Now the southpaw is attempting a full-fledged comeback next year with his first event being the Mubadala World Tennis Championships end of this month. His official ATP season starts at the Brisbane International in January where he will be making his debut.
There is another significant change in his calendar in the month of February where he has opted to play the indoor hardcourt tournament at Rotterdam instead of the claycourt swing in South America. Interestingly, the released schedule doesn’t have any grasscourt warm-up event ahead of Wimbledon.
It is not known whether it has been kept vacant for now or there has been a conscious effort to cut down on grass tournaments.
In many recent interviews, Rafa has maintained that staying healthy and winning as much as possible is the main aim for next year. With his form being on the decline for the past two seasons, Nadal has even asked for the services of his idol Carlos Moya in a bid to revitalise his career.
Rafael Nadal’s full schedule for 2017:
December, 2016
Mubadala World Tennis Championship (29-31 December)
January, 2017
Brisbane International (1-8 January)Australian Open (16-29 January)
February
Rotterdam Open (13-19 February)Acapulco (27 February- 4 March)
March
Indian Wells Masters (6-19 March)Miami Masters (20 March- 2 April)
April
Monte Carlos Masters (15-23 April)Barcelona Open (22-30 April)
May
Madrid Masters (5-14 May)Rome Masters (10-21 May)Roland Garros (28 May- 11 June)
July
Wimbledon Championships (3-16 July)
August
Montreal Masters (4-13 August)Cincinnati Masters (12-20 August)US Open (28 August-10 September)
October
China Open (2-8 October)Shanghai Masters (9-15 October)Basel (23-29 October)BNP Paribas Masters (30 October- 5 November)
November
ATP World Tour Finals (13-19 November) – if he qualifies
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
