Rafael Nadal set to return to court in Next Gen ATP Finals

Former world number one Rafael Nadal is set to make his first appearance in professional tennis after retiring from the sport. The 38-year-old is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men’s tennis in the singles category, having won as many as 22 Grand Slam titles in his illustrious career.

Nadal has retired from professional tennis in the recent past after taking part in the Davis Cup, largely because of fitness concerns. The 22-time Grand Slam winner returned to the court earlier this year after spending nearly 12 months on the sidelines. His final appearance on the tennis court was against Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp, where he ended up on the losing side in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-4.

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Nadal is now set to make his first appearance in tennis after quitting the sport in the upcoming Next Gen ATP Finals. The mega-event is set to be organised from December 18-22 in Saudi Arabia. Nadal was recently quoted in a Forbes report where he expressed excitement to participate in the mega-event.

"Everywhere you look in Saudi Arabia, you can see growth and progress and I’m excited to be part of that,” he said. “I continue to play tennis as I love the game. But beyond playing I want to help the sport grow far and wide across the world and in Saudi there is real potential.”

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It will be the seventh edition of the competition, where the prize money will be more than $2 million. The criteria for qualification in the event is that the players must be 20 years or younger at the time of qualification. Last year, Hamad Medjedovic of Serbia lifted the title after beating France’s Arthur Fils in the final in a five-set thriller with a score of 3-4, 4-1, 4-2, 3-4, 4-1.