Rafael Nadal: When Will The 21-Time Grand Slam Winner Play Next?

Rafael Nadal reacts after beating Daniil Medvedev over an epic five sets in the Australian Open final AFP / William WEST

KEY POINTS

Rafa Nadal is the first man to win 21 Grand Slam titles
He is set to compete in the Mexican Open now
Nadal has won three titles in Mexico so far

Rafael Nadal is set to make his first appearance following his historic victory at the 2022 Australian Open in January.

Nadal has played two tournaments this year so far and has triumphed in both. The Spaniard began the year by competing in the Melbourne Summer Set 1, where he was the top seed. The 35-year-old laid down a fine momentum ahead of the calendar year's opening Grand Slam – the Australian Open, where he became the first-ever man to win 21 Grand Slam titles.

Nadal is currently in Mexico and will play in the first round of the Mexican Open, also called the Abierto Mexicano Telcel, in Acapulco. His opponent is World No. 105 Denis Kudla. The match is scheduled to take place on Tuesday.

The tournament will also see other stars such as Alexander Zeverv, Danill Medvedev, Grigor Dimitrov and Matteo Berrettini fight for the title.

Mexican Open: A record-breaking tournament for Nadal

Acapulco has had a special place in Nadal's career so far. He has won three titles in Mexico, one behind David Ferrer and Thomas Muster's record of four. Two out of Nadal's three titles have been record-breakers as they made him the youngest and the oldest player ever to win the tournament respectively, according to Tennis.com.

DID YOU KNOW❓@RafaelNadal holds the record for both youngest AND oldest player ever to win the title in Acapulco, doing it as an 18-year-old in 2005 and as a 33-year-old in 2020.

Nadal's 2005 title in Acapulco was just the 3rd ATP title of his career—he's now at 90.
— TENNIS (@Tennis) February 20, 2022

The Mallorca-based tennis star won his first Mexican Open title in 2005 when he was just 18 years old. The win saw Nadal bag his second title of the year and the third ATP tour title of his career. The tournament was played on clay back then.

Nadal won his third title in Mexico in 2020, when the surface was changed to the hardcourt. The 33-year-old was the top seed at the Mexican Open 2020, where he defeated seventh seed Dimitrov in the semifinals and edged out Taylor Fritz in the final to seal the title. It marked his first title of the year and the 85th of his career.

Rafael Nadal now has 21 Grand Slam titles after winning the 2022 Australian Open AFP / Martin KEEP

Meanwhile, Medvedev is eyeing to become the new World No. 1 if he wins the title in Mexico. However, he may once again face Nadal as the duo has been drafted in the same half of the draw. Nadal and Medvedev can come up against each other in the last four of the tournament.

The Australian Open 2022 finalist Medvedev can still bag the top-rank if Novak Djokovic doesn't reach the quarter-final at the Dubai Open. However, the Serbian's result won't matter if Medvedev does win the Mexican Open, according to ATP's official website.