Rafael Nadal is on the U.S. Open entry list, although that doesn’t mean he will play there

NEW YORK — Rafael Nadal was on the U.S. Open entry list released Tuesday via a protected ranking, although that doesn’t necessarily mean he will compete in the year’s last Grand Slam tournament.

Nadal has been dealing with injuries the past two seasons and playing sporadically. He is participating in his first tournament in 1 1/2 months this week in Bastad, Sweden, winning a doubles match alongside Casper Ruud on Monday, then beating Leo Borg, the son of former player Bjorn Borg, in singles Tuesday.

The 38-year-old Nadal won four of his 22 Grand Slam titles at the U.S. Open, where play begins on Aug. 26. He sat out the event in three of the past four years, losing in the fourth round in 2022.

He is expected to compete at the Paris Olympics, which starts its tennis competition July 27 and is being held at Roland Garros, the same as the French Open. But it’s not clear how much — or even if — Nadal will continue to play after that.

The U.S. Tennis Association announced its entry lists for women’s and men’s singles based on Monday’s WTA and ATP rankings, led by the two No. 1s, Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner. The two defending champions in New York, Coco Gauff and Novak Djokovic, are ranked No. 2.

The draw to set the brackets for the U.S. Open will be Aug. 22.