Rafael Nadal hopes to lift first Rotterdam trophy in March

Tuesday, 19 January 2021 at 19:45

Instead of preparing for Indian Wells, world no. 2 Rafael Nadal will spend the first week of March in Rotterdam, playing at the prestigious indoor event for the first time in 12 years!

With the recent changes in the ATP calendar, we will have eight ATP tournaments in the third month of the season instead of only Indian Wells and Miami. Rafa has decided to enter Rotterdam for the third time, looking forward to fighting for the first indoor hard crown since Madrid 2005 against Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Gael Monfils, Stan Wawrinka and others.

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The Spaniard is currently serving a two-week quarantine in Adelaide ahead of the ATP Cup and the Australian Open, hoping for a strong start of the season in Melbourne. Rafa made Rotterdam debut in 2008 and returned a year later as world no. 1 following the Australian Open crown. Battling past four rivals, Rafa earned a chance to fight for the title against Andy Murray. The Briton had more energy in the deciding set, delivering a bagel to keep Nadal away from the trophy.

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"I look forward to returning to the Netherlands. It has been too long since I played in Rotterdam. Now that the season looks so different, it fits well into my schedule. It is a tournament where I enjoy playing, and I hope to make it to the honors list. I look forward to seeing my Dutch friends and fans," Rafael Nadal said.