Nadal to play in Rio Open

Rio de Janeiro: World No.2 Rafael Nadal of Spain has confirmed his presence at next year`s inaugural Rio Open tennis tournament, Brazilian tennis officials said.

The ATP 500 event will be played at the Jockey Club Brasileiro in Rio de Janeiro Feb 15-23, reports Xinhua. It will come almost a year to the day after Nadal won the Brazil Open in Sao Paulo, his first tournament victory after a seven-month injury layoff. "I am very excited about playing for the first time in Rio de Janeiro," the 13-time Grand Slam winner said. "I have heard many good things about the city and now I finally have the opportunity to be there." Nadal, whose ranking fell to No.5 in February, has climbed back to No.2 following his French and US Open victories this year. IANS