All-time great and 20-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal is set to make his DC debut at this year’s Citi Open that will take place at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center from July 31 – August 8.
The event will mark the 52nd year of the District’s summer tennis tradition.
“I am very excited to come to Washington for the first time,” Nadal said in a release. “I have never been there and it’s one more place I wanted to come and play. I am looking forward to playing again and Washington shall be the best start for the US Summer Swing for me. Looking forward to seeing again my US fans that I haven’t seen since I won the 2019 US Open in NYC!. Vamos!”
The 35-year-old Spaniard is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and currently ranked No. 3 in the world. He has won 13 Roland Garros singles titles and his run of 81 consecutive victories on clay is the longest single-surface winning streak in the Open Era.
Nadal also has held the world No. 1 ranking for 209 weeks, finishing year-end No. 1 five times, and has won 88 ATP singles titles, including 36 Masters 1000, which is an all-time record he shares with Novak Djokovic. He shares the all-time record of 20 Grand Slam titles with Roger Federer.
“We are thrilled to welcome Rafael Nadal, who is not just one of the greatest tennis players of all-time, but also a global sporting icon and inspiring role model to our Washington community this summer,” said Citi Open Chairman and CEO of MDE Tennis Mark Ein. “I can’t imagine a better way to celebrate the joyous return of the things we cherish like live sports, coming together as a community and our historic event than having Rafa and the rest of our very deep and exciting player field competing for the Citi Open title.”
At the Citi Open, Nadal is expecting to receive his 89th ATP singles title.