Rafael Nadal (Photo : Getty Images)
Rafael Nadal hopes to carry some of his momentum from the 2016 Rio Olympics Games when he faces Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin in the first round of the US Open on Monday at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Nadal enters the US Open on Monday with concerns over his left wrist injury suffered at Roland Garros in May. But the King of Clay, who is seeded fourth in the tournament, insisted his condition is getting a "little bit better."
"I had been playing great before the injury," Nadal said, reports the ATP's official website. "I have been playing at a very high level.... I think I am practising well."
"I am better. I am a little bit better. It's obvious that when you have been [out] two months and a half you need a little bit of time."
Nadal finished with a Gold Medal in doubles competition at the Olympic Games, but fell short of winning another gold in the singles category. The Spaniard then showed strong performances at the Cincinnati Masters, but exhaustion caught up, contributing to his Round of 16 loss against Borna Coric.
Nadal faces Istomin, whom the Mallorcan defeated in all four of their career head-to-head singles matchup. Their most recent meeting was back in 2014 at the ATP World Tour Masters in Miami.
Nadal should be the favorite to win in his first round match against Istomin, who ranks No. 107 in the world, but be cautious to keep him from suffering an early exit at the US Open.
The winner between Nadal and Istomin could face either French Stephane Robert or Italy's Andreas Seppi.
Meanwhile, third seed Stan Wawrinka will open against Spain's Fernando Verdasco. Wawrinka is coming off a third round defeat at the Cincinnati Masters against Grigor Dimitrov, who plays Inigo Cervantes in the opening round of the US Open.
Wawrinka trails Verdasco by 2-3 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head matchup, recently losing to the world No. 46 at the AEGON Championships. Dimitrov, on the other hand, has never faced Cervantes, but is poised to advance into the next round after a strong showing in Mason, Ohio.
Live streaming info and score updates
Watch US Open 2016: Novak Djokovic vs Jerzy Janowicz live via WatchESPN or visit the US Open's official website. Live scores will be available during game days at the US Open's official website.
