Watch: Rafael Nadal gears up for Italian Open title defense

Rafael Nadal recently landed in Rome ahead of his Italian Open title defense. The Spaniard has won the event a record 10 times till date.

The Italian Open will be the last tournament for the Spaniard to fine-tune his game ahead of the French Open later this month. After losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open, Nadal has a few extra days to prepare for his title defense in Rome.

The tournament's official social media handles posted a montage of the Spaniard arriving in Rome and kickstarting his preparations.

"Rafa is here," the caption read.

Rafael Nadal's projected path to the final in Rome

Mutua Madrid Open - Day Nine

Rafael Nadal will likely launch his Italian Open campaign against big-serving American John Isner. Isner has never beaten the Spaniard on clay, although he did run him extremely close at Roland Garros several years ago.

The Spaniard could face Denis Shapovalov in the third round. The Canadian put up a tough fight against Nadal at the Australian Open, eventually losing in five sets. Nadal leads the head-to-head against the Canadian 4-1.

Hubert Hurkacz could potentially lie in wait in the quarterfinals. The Pole has posted a number of big victories this season, but does not particularly enjoy playing on clay and should not pose much of a threat to the Spaniard if they do meet in the last eight.

Novak Djokovic is in the same half of the draw as Nadal, which means they are projected to meet in the semifinals. The World No. 1 showed glimpses of his best form in Madrid. Nadal beat Djokovic in the Rome final last year and the Serb will undoubtedly be gunning for revenge.

If Nadal reaches the final, he is slated to meet No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev. The German has rediscovered his best form and made the final in Madrid last week.

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