Tennis fans in frenzy over Rafa Nadal images ahead of US Open

Rafael Nadal's legion of fans have been sent into a frenzy after exciting images of the 22-time grand slam champion emerged ahead of the US Open.

Nadal's withdrawal from the semi-finals of Wimbledon earlier this month sparked concerns going into the final major of the year at Flushing Meadows.

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The 22-time grand slam champion made the semi-finals at Wimbledon but was forced to withdraw from his scheduled match against Nick Kyrgios due to an abdominal tear.

Concerns over his fitness were allayed when Nadal announced that he was competing in next week's Canadian Open in Montreal, in news that left tennis fans brimming with joy.

That excitement has been ramped up after the Spaniard's tennis academy shared images of the 36-year-old hitting the practice courts in Mallorca.

The post from the Rafael Nadal Academy was captioned: "Back to work" and featuring an image of Nadal ready to rip one of his trademark forehands.

Naturally, the sight of the Spaniard looking sharp on the practice court was greeted with delight across the tennis world.

"Great time watching him today," one fan commented on Nadal's Instagram post.

"Welcome back Rafa!!! So good to see you back on court," another exclaimed.

"The King IS back", read another supporter's message.

Nadal won the Australian Open title in January, before clinching his 22nd career grand slam trophy with victory in the French Open.

He was forced to pull out of the Wimbledon semi-final against Australia's Nick Kyrgios, but will be hoping to add a 23rd major title to his haul at the US Open.

First up for the Spaniard is the Canadian Open, which Nadal has won five times.

The Spaniard will be out to equal Ivan Lendl's record of six titles in Montreal.

Rafa Nadal recovering well after Wimbledon withdrawal

Nadal battled through his abdominal injury in an extraordinary Wimbledon quarter-final triumph over American Taylor Fritz, but felt it would have jeopardised the rest of his season if he didn't pull out of the semi-final against Kyrgios.

"I think it doesn't make sense to go (on). Even if I tried lot of times during my career to keep going under very tough circumstances, in this one I think it's obvious that if I keep going, the injury going to be worse and worse," he said in a press conference.

Nadal was spotted out on a jet ski off the Spanish island of Formentera just four days after his withdrawal - a sign that the injury wouldn't see him miss significant time.

The 36-year-old appears to be nearing the end of his career and has hinted at retirement a number of times in recent months.

His wife Xisca Pirello is also pregnant with their first child, and Nadal has previously stated that he would stop playing once he starts a family.

The Canadian Open field also includes World No.4 Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud and Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in addition to World No.1 Daniil Medvedev.

Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic won't be allowed to play in Montreal due to Canada's vaccination requirements.

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