Rafael Nadal discovers Rogers Cup opponent and makes US Open claim
RAFAEL NADAL will face Benoit Paire in his opening Rogers Cup match.
Nadal was handed a bye in the first round but he watched on as Paire beat Jared Donaldson 6-3, 6-4 last night.
Second round matches get underway on Wednesday and Nadal will be back in action for the first time since his Wimbledon semi-final defeat to Novak Djokovic.
The world No 1 has been handed a tough draw, with him likely to face the winner of Nick Kyrgios vs Stan Wawrinka in round three.
But Nadal is not too fussed with results so long as he defends his US Open crown at the end of the month.
"I think what happens here or in Cincinnati will not have a big impact on the US Open," Nadal said.
"Of course, the good results would be good for the confidence, but the conditions are completely different: the courts and especially the ball.
"I know from experience that if I play well here and in Cincinnati it will be a little easier to play well in the US Open, but not decisive.
“I did not play very well last year (in Montreal) but I played well in the US Open and won it.
"In 2005 I won here and lost the third round at the US Open.
“If you win and play well in these two tournaments and you create that extra confidence you can play well there, but if you lose it does not matter.
“The conditions are completely different.”
Rafael Nadal possible route to Rogers Cup final
R1: Bye
R2: Benoit Paire
R3: Stan Wawrinka / Nick Kyrgios
QF: Marin Cilic / Diego Schwartzman / Sam Querrey
SF: John Isner / Juan Martin del Potro
F: Novak Djokovic / Alexander Zverev / Dominic Thiem / Kevin Anderson / Grigor Dimitrov