Rome Masters: Nadal eyes record-breaking eighth title

World number two Rafael Nadal will begin his quest for record-breaking eighth Rome Masters title, when he squares off with Bosnian tennis star Damir Dzumhur in their round-of-32 clash in Italy on Wednesday.

The Spaniard tennis maestro, as the top seed in the tournament, was handed a bye into the second round and so he is yet to take to the court in Foro Italico.

Nadal will look to return back to winning ways after 21-match winning streak on the clay court and 50-set winning streak was broken by Austria's Dominic Thiem in their last-eight clash of the Madrid Open.

As a result, the 31-year-old lost his top rank to long-time rival Roger Federer in the updated ATP Rankings, but Nadal can retain his top spot with a win at the Rome Masters.

The top-seed will now aim to kick start his campaign on a winning note when he locks horns with Dzumhur. They have split their two ATP Head-to-Head meetings, but Nadal clinched their most-recent meeting at the 2018 Australian Open in straight sets.

In other men's singles clashes, Japan's Kei Nishikori will take on Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria while Thiem will take on Fabio Fognini of Italy.