Rafael Nadal is the number one ranked player and the number one seed at the final major of the year, the US Open.

Today I had the pleasure of watching him practice in the new Louis Armstrong Stadium…….and if you are a Nadal fan…..enjoy the following photos.

The defending champion will begin his bid to defend his title by playing a good friend and former top ten player, David Ferrer. His half of the draw is littered by some big serving opponents who have given him problems in the past. While some of them may fall victim to some other opponent, Nadal may still have to get by a few in his quest to defend his title. Of note is Gilles Muller, Karen Khachanov, Jack Sock, Dominic Thiem, Denis Shapovalov, Sam Querrey, Kevin Anderson, Juan Martin Del Potro, Fernando Verdasco, Borna Coric, Stefanos Tsitsipas, John Isner, Milos Raonic, Stan Wawrinka and Grigor Dimitrov.

Yet, sometimes the biggest threat may come from an unexpected source and Nadal knows all too well that when it comes to a major, everyone tries to bring their best form and he and his team will keep this in mind from the very first opponent.

SOURCE OF IMAGES: serveandrally.