Rafael Nadal says he is playing Cincinnati this week to help his chances of qualifying for the ATP Tour Finals.
Nadal had what he called a "super positive week" at the Olympics, winning the doubles gold and reaching the semifinals in singles despite coming off a wrist injury. While the wrist is still bothering him, he said he did not experience increased pain despite a busy week of tennis in which he had to play two matches a day more than once.
The Spaniard then decided to play this week's Masters event in Ohio, arriving on Monday in a jet with Andy Murray.
"It'll be an ordeal,” he said. “I'm drained both mentally and physically.”
But despite his exhaustion, the Spaniard is determined to make up ground in order to qualify for the ATP Tour Finals.
Nadal had been in fourth position to qualify for the eight-player field before the injury, but has now fallen back to fifth in the standings.
"It was going fine, but now not so much,” he said. “…It's going to take an effort to be in the top eight, but I am going to push for it.”
Nadal will play Pablo Cuevas in his opening round in Cincinnati, where he is the third highest-ranked player.