Rafael Nadal will defend his Argentina Open title in Buenos Aires next week after taking a wild card into the ATP World Tour 250 clay-court tournament.
The addition of World No. 5 Nadal means the tournament will boast its strongest field yet, with four of the Top 12 in action – Nadal, No. 6 David Ferrer, No. 9 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and No. 12 John Isner.
Speaking from Mallorca, where he has been training on clay since his shock first-round exit againstFernando Verdasco at the Australian Open, Nadal said, “I want to thank the organisers of the Argentina Open for giving me this wild card to play in Buenos Aires. The times that I’ve played in Argentina have been special and full of good memories because the people are some of the best in the world.
“I asked for this wild card after the bad result in Melbourne and I hope that Buenos Aires will once again be the start of a good run for me. I will try my best to make sure it is.”
Nadal will open his campaign on either Wednesday or Thursday in the Argentine capital. The 29-year-old Spaniard won the title for the first time last year with victory over Juan Monaco in the final.
The Argentina Open also welcomes two of the ATP’s most exciting young stars – Dominic Thiem andJack Sock – as well as home favourites Monaco, Leonardo Mayer and Federico Delbonis.
