Week in Preview: the ATP Citi Open—featuring Rafael Nadal's D.C. debut—and the WTA's Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose

Tennis Channel Live: Rafa is afraid of dogs?

August may bring mixed feelings for tennis fans in the United States. On the one hand, popular tournaments that were canceled last summer—in Cincinnati, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere—are returning, and fans are returning with them. On the other hand, that feeling of reopening is mixed with a feeling that the country may be closing again soon, due to the rise of the Delta variant.

But even if the celebrations remain muted, we have tennis, and we have crowds to watch it; hopefully we can enjoy those two facts safely for the next month. Here’s a look ahead at the summer hard-court season’s opening week.

Citi Open (ATP)

Location: Washington, D.C.
Tier: ATP 500
Purse: $2,046,340
Surface: Hard court
Draw: Click here

We don’t see the Big 3 in new places very often, so Rafael Nadal’s first appearance in D.C. this week is a notable one. It’s popular, too: Whatever the Citi Open invested in bringing Rafa here was worth it, as ticket sales skyrocketed, and full capacity was quickly reached.

Nadal’s early return to the hard-court season would also seem to be good news for his fans. After skipping Wimbledon and the Olympics, and saying he would play less often in the future, he turned around and added D.C. to his schedule. He’s not ready to turn into a part-time player just yet, and he must like his chances to add another Grand Slam title at the US Open.

By 2019, the last time it was played, the tournament was on something of a roll with new owner Mark Ein. “There was a feeling around the grounds that something special was happening that year,” Ein says. Can the event recapture the spirit of ’19 this week? The field provides a promising mix of quality and entertainment. Felix Auger-Aliassime, Jannik Sinner, Alex De Minaur, Sebastian Korda, Frances Tiafoe, Dan Evans and defending champion Nick Kyrgios will join Nadal in a relatively strong 48-player draw.

First-round match to watch: Kyrgios vs. Mackenzie McDonald

Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic (WTA)

Location: San Jose, CA
Tier: WTA 500
Purse: $565,530
Surface: Hard courts
Draw: Click here

Tennis returns to the Bay Area, and to San Jose, with this new women’s 500-level tournament. Elise Mertens is the top seed, followed by Olympic semifinalist Elena Rybakina, Madison Keys, and Daria Kasatkina.

First-round matches to watch: Shelby Rogers vs. Danielle Collins; Shuai Zhang vs. Emma Raducanu; Ajla Tomljanovic vs. Amanda Anisimova