Nadal 'eager to play' at Madrid Open; will the 5-time champion win big again?

All eyes will be on the 'King of Clay' Rafael Nadal when he kicks off his campaign at the Madrid Open on Wednesday against Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic. The 22-year-old defeated Alexander Bublik 6-4, 7-5 to reach the 2nd round in Madrid, and will now face the Spanish ace in what will be a tough battle.

Also read: 'Very unfair': Nadal criticises Wimbledon ban on Russian and Belarusian players

The 21-time Grand Slam winner will begin his clay-court season in Madrid after recovering from a stress fracture in his rib suffered during the Indian Wells Masters.

Critics are expecting Nadal to be rustic in the first few games of the Madrid Open as the rib injury forced the Spaniard out of action for six weeks, which resulted in him missing out on the Monte-Carlo and Barcelona Open.

If history is any indication, then Nadal is expected to make a comeback with a bang, and the 35-year-old has expressed his eagerness to be in action again.

"Eager to play again... here in Madrid," wrote Nadal on Instagram. The Spanish ace's triumphs in Madrid came in 2005, 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2017. Novak Djokovic and Federer have won the tournament thrice.

Nadal also posted an Instagram story with the caption, "Ready for tomorrow," along with a muscle and wink emoticon.

After featuring in this year's Madrid Open, Nadal will head to the Italian Open in Rome, where he is the defending champion, before reclaiming the trophy at Roland Garros and winning the 14th title.