Tennis-Nadal confirms he will compete at Cincinnati

Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 6, 2022 Spain's Rafael Nadal celebrates winning his quarter final match against Taylor Fritz of the U.S. REUTERS/Hannah Mckay

(Reuters) - Rafa Nadal confirmed on Wednesday that he will compete at next week's Cincinnati Open after being forced to withdraw from the ongoing Canadian Open due to an abdominal injury.

The world number three opted out of the U.S. Open tune-up event in Montreal with the same strain that has limited his service motion and forced him to forfeit his Wimbledon semi-final last month.

"(Flying) tomorrow to Cincinnati," the Spaniard posted alongside a photo of himself shirtless and smiling.

"Very happy to play again in Cincy."

Nadal, who has won a men's record 22 major titles, will be the only one of tennis' Big Three in the draw of the hardcourt tournament as rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic will both be absent.

Federer is still undergoing rehab after undergoing knee surgery while Wimbledon champion Djokovic is unable to compete in the North American tournaments due to his refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19, which prevents him from entering the two countries.

(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles, editing by Pritha Sarkar)