Melbourne: Former world number one Rafael Nadal will make his return from a foot injury at an ATP 250 in Melbourne that will begin on January 4.
The Spaniard leads a strong field that also includes former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori, former World No. 5 Kevin Anderson and 2017 ATP Finals champion Grigor Dimitrov.
Nadal has not competed since this year’s Citi Open, where he lost against Lloyd Harris in the Round of 16. The 20 times Grand Slam champion is currently No. 6 in the ATP Rankings.
Other players entered in the event include big-serving American Reilly Opelka, Kazakhstani standout Alexander Bublik and US Open quarter-finalist Botic van de Zandschulp.
During the same week, French star Gael Monfils will lead the way at an ATP 250 in Adelaide, which will also feature former World No. 3 Marin Cilic.
There will be plenty of young stars in action at the Adelaide tournament, including Italian Lorenzo Musetti and Americans Sebastian Korda, Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe.