"Look at this brutal draw, wish he had Novak's luck"- Tennis fans react to Rafael Nadal's 2022 Cincinnati Open draw

Rafael Nadal has confirmed his participation in the 2022 Cincinnati Open days after he pulled out of the 2022 Canadian Open owing to not recovering fully from an abdominal injury.

The 36-year-old is scheduled to make his first competitive appearance since withdrawing from Wimbledon shortly before his semifinal against Nick Kyrgios due to a 7mm abdominal tear.

He confirmed his participation via an Instagram post recently.

"Very happy to play again in Cincy. Flying there tomorrow," he captioned the post.

The draws for the Cincinnati Open, the penultimate big tournament before the final Grand Slam tournament of the year, were released on Saturday, with the 22-time Grand Slam champion facing Borna Coric to open his campaign after receiving a bye in the first round.

Roberto Bautista Agut might be his third-round opponent, with either Jannik Sinner or seventh seed Felix Auger-Aliassime possibly posing a threat in the quarterfinals.

In the semifinals, Nadal may encounter either fellow countryman Carlos Alcaraz or Norwegian Casper Ruud, who he defeated in the 2022 French Open final to earn his 22nd Grand Slam title. Afterwards, if everything goes according to plan, the Spaniard will play either Daniil Medvedev or Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final.

Tennis fans took to social media to express their opinions on Nadal's draw, with some believing the Spaniard will face an uphill battle while others believing he will easily win the title.

One user thought the Spaniard received a particularly harsh draw and wished he had Novak Djokovic's luck in the draw instead, writing:

"Look at this brutal draw ffs!!! Alcaraz is skinning Rafa in the semis isn't he!!!! Wish he had Novak's luck in the draws."

Another user questioned Carlos Alcaraz's consistent presence on Rafael Nadal's side of the draw and commented:

"Why is fricking (freaking) Alcaraz always on his side of the draw?"

Meanwhile, according to another user, the first few rounds are quite easy, with the quarterfinals being the biggest threat, but if Nadal makes it past the quarterfinals, he has a strong chance of winning.

"I take that you know. First couple rounds are very winnable considering there isn’t an actual serve abuser there. QF is really tough but if he makes it to Sinner, I will be content. Anything more is a bonus. Just hope for good health mainly from Cinci," the tweet read.

Here are some more fan reactions:

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Rafael Nadal has a shot at becoming World No.1 again

Rafael Nadal could once again regain the top spot in the ATP rankings following Nick Kyrgios' triumph over Daniil Medvedev at the Canadian Open, where the current World No. 1 was the defending champion.

Medvedev needs to reach the semifinals in Ohio to defend his 360 points at the tournament, while Nadal has no points to defend as it will be his first appearance in the tournament since 2017.

If the Spaniard wins the Western & Southern Open and the Russian exits the competition before the quarterfinals, the 36-year-old will replace Medvedev at the top of the rankings.