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The world No 3 is scheduled to arrive with an entourage of 12 - but minus his family and girlfriend - on the morning of September 23 and will take a connecting flight to Krabi province right away, according to Suwat Liptapanlop, president of the Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand (LTAT).

The Spaniard will be staying at the Rayavadee Resort for a week and will involve himself in promotional activity for the southern province.

The LTAT executive said Nadal will pay a visit to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on September 30, while his first match will be on October 1. Along with three other seeds, No 1 seed Nadal has a first-round bye.

The Thailand Open is scheduled for September 26 to October 4 at the Impact Arena in Muang Thong Thani. Also featuring in the tournament will be defending champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and Gilles Simon and Marat Safin.

Nadal is currently competing at the US Open, where he says he's feeling relaxed after suffering no pain from the knee tendinitis that sidelined him for two months.

The third seed defeated France's Richard Gasquet 6-2 6-2 6-3 in a first-round match, happy to be healthy after missing a chance to defend his 2008 Wimbledon title.