Nadal's participation in 2017 Barcelona Open confirmed

Barcelona, Nov 22: The organising committee of the Barcelona Open on Tuesday confirmed the presence of Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal in next year's edition of the tournament, which will see his 13th participation in the ATP World Tour 500 series event.

Nadal, who dropped to the ninth position on the ATP rankings due to injury, will return to the clay courts for the 65th edition of the Barcelona Open, which is scheduled to be held from April 22 through April 30, 2017, reports Efe.

The Spaniard is the tournament's defending champion, after he defeated Japanese player Kei Nishikori 6-4, 7-5 in the final of last year's edition.