One of the modern-day greats, Rafael Nadal is all set to return to tennis action. With the pre-tournament pageantry complete in Turin, the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals is all set to kick off in the Italian city on Sunday.

Group-stage action will light up the Pala Alpitour and top seed Nadal will be involved in the action. He will be closing out the opening day of the tournament with a clash with Taylor Fritz who is making his debut in the competition in 2022. This is the third time this season that Nadal will be squaring off with the American tennis star.

Nadal fell out of the rhythm of the ATP Tour and lost his shape in the second half of the season, for reasons both positive as well as negative. 

He welcomed the birth of his first child in October but also spent time out of action as he recovered from two abdominal tears, suffered at Wimbledon and just before the US Open. In fact, he had to walk out of the Wimbledon semi-final clash with Nick Kyrgios after the injury which spilled water on what had been an outstanding start to the season for the veteran Spaniard.

After an early exit at the Rolex Paris Masters, the 36-year-old said he would travel to Turin in Italy early in his bid to get back to the peak form that saw him start the season with a personal-best 20 straight wins. Indeed he lived up to those words, and the Spaniard was one of the first to begin practicing in Northern Italy.

“I’m happy because I’ve been able to train and I’m excited to play well,” Nadal told ATPTour.com in Turin. “If I didn’t think I had a chance to fight for what I came for, I wouldn’t be here. I think I have a chance.”

What he came for, however, is the last big title that he is yet to win in his already illustrious and glittering career. Nadal had finished runner-up in the Nitto ATP Finals in 2010 and 2013. If he does manage to go all the way and lift the trophy in his 11^th appearance in this competition, he would also be able to close out the year with the Number 1 ATP ranking for the sixth time in his career, overtaking fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz.