The world’s top tennis players will be heading Down Under for the first grand slam of next year’s tennis season. Rafael Nadal said he is looking forward to return to Melbourne Park and compete at the 2016 Australian Open.

The 14-time grand slam champion recently joined tennis legend Rod Laver to launch the 2016 Australian Open ahead of his second-round opening match in Shanghai where he spoke about his anticipation of the grand slam tennis event of the Asia-Pacific. According to Nadal, he has always loved playing in front of his Australian fans. The Spanish tennis star reportedly looks forward to the event, dubbed the “Happy Slam,” every year.

“Every year, I look forward to play in Melbourne,” Nadal revealed during the Shanghai launch of the Australian Open. “I have great memories of not only winning the title, but each year is a great experience for me.”

In 2009, Nadal won the Australian Open, beating Roger Federer. After claiming his maiden and only Australian Open title, Nadal had three quarterfinal appearances (2010-2011) and two runner-ups finish (2012 and 2014) at Melbourne Park.

The 29-year-old arrived in Beijing following his loss to Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2015 China Open. He is currently playing at the penultimate ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Shanghai tennis event of the year in his bid to clinch a spot in the season-ending tournament in London with only four weeks remaining.

Nadal, who is a two-time finalist at the O2 Arena, is currently in sixth place in the Emirates ATP Race to London rankings after his runner-up finish in China. He scored 300 points from the tournament, which saw him get ahead of other top contenders.

The former World No. 1 will play unseeded Ivo Karlovic in his opening second-round match. Nadal is drawn on the same bracket as Federer, but the Swiss has already bowed out of the tournament after losing to Albert Ramos-Vinolas in three sets 7-6 2-6 6-3.

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