Nine-time Rome Internazionali d’Italia champion Rafael Nadal will play his come-back match on the ATP Tour against this year’s US Open semifinalist Pablo Carreno Busta at the Foro Italico in Rome. Carreno Busta reached his second semifinal at the US Open this week and claimed his first doubles title at the Western and Southern Open last month. Nadal beat Carreno Busta in the third round at this year’s Australian Open last January.
Nadal won the past two editions of the Rome tournament and is on a 10-match winning streak in the Eternal City.
Nadal could face last month’s Western and Southern Open finalist Milos Raonic in the third round and either Andrey Rublev or Diego Schwartzman in the quarter final. The King of Clay did not a set en route to winning the title in Acapulco against Frances Tiafoe at his most recent tournament last February.
The Mallorcan legend shares the same bottom half of the draw with 2019 Nitto ATP champion and last year’s Rome semifinalist Stefanos Tsitsipas, who will start his Rome campaign against either reignin Next Gen ATP Finals champion Jannik Sinner or Benoit Paire. Tsitsipas shares the third quarter of the quarter with Fabio Fognini, Denis Shapovalov and Grigor Dimitrov.
Four-time Rome champion Novak Djokovic will make his debut against either Salvatore Caruso or a qualifier in the second round and coul face Canada’s Felix Auger Aliassime. Djokovic could meet fifth seed Gael Monfils or 2008 Rome finalist Stan Wawrinka in the quarter final. The Serb will play in his first tournament after the disqualification in New Yprk.
Local star Matteo Berrettini will take on either Jan Lennard Struff or a qualifier in the second round. David Goffin, 2018 Paris Bercy champion Karen Khachanov and 2020 Cordoba and Rio de Janeiro champion Christian Garin have been drawn in Berrettini’s section of the draw.
Danil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem have pulled out the Rome tournament after reaching the semifinals at the US Open this week.
