PARIS (AFP) - Rafael Nadal boosted his hopes of competing at the US Open on Wednesday (Aug 10) by announcing he will play in next week's Cincinnati Masters.

"Very happy to play again in Cincy. Flying there tomorrow," the 36-year-old wrote on Instagram.

World number three Nadal has not played since suffering an abdominal tear at Wimbledon last month which forced him to withdraw from his semi-final against Nick Kyrgios.

Nadal, who has won the Australian and French Open titles this year to take his Grand Slam total to a record 22, skipped this week's Montreal Masters to aid his injury recovery.

The Spaniard hasn't played in Cincinnati, where he was champion in 2013, for five years.

Nadal will be seeking a fifth US Open title when the final major of the season gets underway in New York on Aug 29.