-China Open - Discussion; Rafa's Come back Tournament

China open Stars from 29th Sep n ends on 5th Oct

Nole is the defending champion
Rafa runner up

Rafa il face Richard G in first round
Nole Vs Gracia L

Nadal returns from wrist injury at China Open

BEIJING (AP) -- Rafael Nadal's right wrist is healthy enough to allow him to compete again, the Spaniard said as he prepares for a tough first-round match against Frenchman Richard Gasquet at the China Open.

Nadal hasn't played a match since losing in the fourth round of Wimbledon to Australian teenager Nick Kyrgios. He injured his wrist while practicing on his home island of Mallorca in late July and was forced to drop out of the U.S. Open, where he was the defending champion.

''The injury in my wrist, as I said before, I cannot say 100 percent because I still feel something when I start for the first five minutes of the practice,'' he told reporters in Beijing on Saturday. ''But in general the injury is not limiting me to compete.''

Nadal is seeded second at the tournament behind defending champion and top-ranked Novak Djokovic, who has a perfect 19-0 record in Beijing and will be aiming for his fifth title.

Nadal said the Serb's record in Beijing suggests he will be the player to beat.

''Novak dominates almost all the tournaments,'' Nadal said. ''Normally he likes to play here. We'll see what's going on this year.''

Djokovic, who opens against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain, is playing his first match since losing in the semifinals of the U.S. Open to Japan's Kei Nishikori.

The other top men's players in the draw are Andy Murray, who reached his first final since last year's Wimbledon triumph at the Shenzhen Open on Saturday, as well as newly crowned U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic of Croatia.

The other top men's players in the draw are Andy Murray, who reached his first final since last year's Wimbledon triumph at the Shenzhen Open on Saturday, as well as newly crowned U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic of Croatia.

On the women's side, fifth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, the 2011 China Open champion, moved into the second round with a 6-4, 6-3 win over American Coco Vandeweghe on Saturday.

Another American, Madison Keys, also advanced with a tough 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-5 win over countrywoman Alison Riske and Chinese wild card Lin Zhu moved on when Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova retired with dizziness while trailing 6-3, 3-3.

Serena Williams, who retired from her opening match at the Wuhan Open last week with a viral illness, is the top seed in Beijing, followed by second-ranked Simona Halep and No. 3 Petra Kvitova, who captured her third title of the year in Wuhan.

The draw for the China Open has been released and Rafael Nadals first round match is against Richard Gasquet. If he wins that match, he will play the winner of Ivo Karlovic/Qualifier.

Our champion could have a potential quarterfinal with Ernests Gulbis and a semifinal with Tomas Berdych.

In top seed Novak Djokovic's half are Andy Murray, Marin Cilic and Grigor Dimitrov.

Rafa will also play doubles with Pablo Andujar. Their opponents in the first round are Tomas Berdych and John Isner.

"Beijing is always an important city in my career. I know I won in 2005. Last year I played the final here, became No. 1 [in the Emirates ATP Rankings]. I feel comfortable here. I like the tournament. I like the city. I feel comfortable here," said Rafa as he spoke to media on Saturday in Beijing.

More than three months since Rafael Nadal last competed on the ATP World Tour, the Spaniard makes his long-awaited return to action at the China Open.

Persistent right wrist pain forced Nadal to the sidelines following a Round of 16 defeat to Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon, and the 28 year old has since seen his World No. 1 mantle wrestled away by rival Novak Djokovic.

As the 2005 champion (d. Coria) returns to Beijing for the fourth time, he says he is refreshed and ready to embark on the home stretch of the 2014 season, with the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals fast approaching.

"I am fine," said Nadal as he spoke to media on Saturday in Beijing. "I am much better. The thing is the injury, the evolution of the injury, was a bit slow and took a little bit of time. But that's it. I just feel the wrist a little bit when I am starting, when I start to play every day, but then it disappears. I'm in good conditions to compete again."

Absent throughout the duration of the Emirates Airline US Open Series, Nadal was unable to defend his crowns at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in Toronto and Cincinnati, as well as at the US Open. The 2013 runner-up in the Chinese capital city (12-2 overall record) will look to get back on track as he seeks his third title on Asian soil, but the Mallorca native was quick to temper expectations.

"My motivation is always high. I am coming here to Beijing for a big tournament," Nadal added. "The best players are here. I try my best always. It's not because I'm coming back from an injury. This part of the season has always been a little bit difficult for me, and will be for sure even more this year after stopping for three months at the middle of the season. That was really bad news for me.

"But the last part of the season remains. I am going to try to be ready for it. I don't know in which condition I am going to be in, in terms of tennis, in these two tournaments, but I hope to practise and play as much as possible to be in rhythm again."

No. 2 seed Nadal opens his China Open campaign with a 13th FedEx ATP Head2Head encounter against Richard Gasquet, seeking to improve to 13-0. A potential semi-final against third seed Tomas Berdych or big-serving John Isner looms large, as does top seed Novak Djokovic in the final.

Nadal is also slated to compete in doubles for the second time this year, partnering with countryman Pablo Andujar. They will face the Czech-American tandem of Berdych and Isner in the first round.

"Beijing is always an important city in my career. I know I won in 2005. Last year I played the final here, became No. 1 [in the Emirates ATP Rankings]. I feel comfortable here. I like the tournament. I like the city. I feel comfortable here."

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: Rafael Nadal makes winning comeback! Beats Richard Gasquet 6-4,6-0 at the @ChinaOpen. Well done, Rafa!

: Rafael Nadal will next face Peter Gojowczyk who beat Ivo Karlovic 6-4, 2-6, 7-5. VAMOS RAFA! http://t.co/czQ0PJsjG2