It’s been three years since Rafael Nadal set foot in the US Open. In his last outing at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, he doused a stirring Daniil Medvedev fightback to win his 4th Slam in New York and 19th overall. The Russian -down two sets and a break- had clawed his way back to stretch the final to a fifth. But Rafa quelled his charge to win the decider. After nearly five hours, the score read 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4. Since then, Covid-related fears and ATP’s “barbaric schedule” (in 2020) and his chronic left foot injury (in 2021) kept him away.

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Seeded 2nd, behind defending champion Medvedev, the old master begins against the relatively unknown Australian, Rinky Hijikata. The 21-year-old wildcard- his first appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam- offers little threat to Nadal. Judging by how late-era Rafa eases into Slams, growing in tempo and groove with each passing round, expect the Spaniard to treat this as a practice session, a tune-up for the tests ahead. The 36-year-old recently returned to hard court action, losing to Croat Borna Coric in three sets at Cincinnati.

The southpaw will likely run into Briton Cameron Norrie in the quarters and compatriot and third-seed Carlos Alcaraz in the semis en route to the finals. Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev’s absence and Stefanos Tsitsipas’ shock first-round exit to Daniel Galan ease Rafa’s path. But opponents aside, his body is equally susceptible to fell his charge.

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Suffering from a long-standing foot injury- Mueller Weiss Syndrome– Nadal remains touch-and-go before every Slam in recent years. It’s a miracle that he won in Melbourne and Paris (the French Open is his fiefdom, his body isn’t). It beggars belief that Rafa outlasted Thomas Fritz in their Wimbledon quarters. Battling pain, barely mobile, his father and wife pleaded with him to quit. Refusing to pay heed, he scripted a doggedly brilliant Centre Court win comparable to any of his classics. In New York, body permitting, there’s every chance of a Nadal-Medvedev rerun.