Rafael Nadal has taken a wild card into Buenos Aires.
The No. 5-ranked Spaniard fell in the first round of the Australian Open to Fernando Verdasco, and decided he could use some extra match play.
"I asked for this wild card after the bad result in Melbourne, and I hope that Buenos Aires will once again be the start of a good run for me,” Nadal said in a statement. “I will try my best to make sure it is … The times that I've played in Argentina have been special and full of good memories because the people are some of the best in the world."
Nadal is the defending champion at the ATP 250 event, which begins next week.