Nadal
Rafael Nadal opens his 2016 Argentina Open campaign against Juan Monaco in the second round of the tournament. Reuters/Argentine Presidency

Rafael Nadal’s quest for redemption will start in the second round of the 2016 Argentina Open in Buenos Aires against the country’s own Juan Monaco.

Nadal will have a shot at re-writing his 2016 season on a winning note when he faces Monaco on Feb. 11. The Spaniard leads Monaco in their FedEx ATP Head2Head battle by 6-1, with Nadal winning all of their last five meetings.

It will be Nadal’s first tournament since suffering an upset in the opening round of the Australian Open against compatriot Fernando Verdasco, but the “King of Clay” insists he has “maximum motivation” ahead of his title defense campaign in Buenos Aires.

“From Beijing to Doha I got very good results on complicated courts for me, and in Australia I had a bad day,” Nadal said, reports Tennis World USA. “I can't do anything other than look forward and work with enthusiasm like I have been doing in the recent months.”

In last year’s tournament, Nadal defeated Monaco to claim his first ever Argentina Open title, but the Mallorcan admitted it would be a “difficult match” for him to face the Argentine, who defeated Italian qualifier Marco Cecchinato in the opening round 6-1 6-3. Nevertheless, the 14-time Grand Slam winner is just happy to be back in Argentina, where he can bury a forgetful start of the season.

“I’m happy to return to Argentina, because every time I left this country I did it with a lot of positive energy,” Nadal said, reports the ATP’s official website. “They treat me very well here, like few places in the world.”

Meanwhile, three-time Argentina Open champion David Ferrer will start his campaign in the tournament with a second round match against Argentine Renzo Olivo, who defeated compatriot Facundo Bagnis 7-6(9) 7-5.

Live streaming info and score updates

Watch the Argentina Open 2016 live via ATP’s official website or TennisTV. Live scores for matches will be available on game days via ATP's official website.