Rafael Nadal, absent from the US Open, is preparing for his return to competition after a six-month break at the Foro Italico in Rome, the ...

Rafael Nadal, absent from the US Open, is preparing for his return to competition after a six-month break at the Foro Italico in Rome, the organisers of the Italian Open tweeted on Thursday.
“Rafa Nadal is already here, doing his first training sessions,” said the tournament’s official account with a photo of the Spaniard, while videos posted by fans showed Nadal hitting on the statue-lined clay court with Stan Wawrinka.
Nadal posted a photo of the clay with the statues in the background on his Instagram account with the caption “Here we are!”