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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 26: Rafael Nadal of Spain smiles during a practice session on day seven of the 2020 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 26, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Wayne Taylor/Getty Images)
via Getty
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 26: Rafael Nadal of Spain smiles during a practice session on day seven of the 2020 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 26, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Wayne Taylor/Getty Images)
Spanish tennis superstar Rafael Nadal won the Laureus Sportsman of the Year award recently. Due to his heroics in the past season, the Mallorcan-born player was one of the most deserving candidates for this honor. Upon doing so, he received a number of plaudits from the sporting world.
Recently, Spanish golfer Sergio Garcia was added to the list of individuals who congratulated Rafael Nadal on his incredible achievement. He was in awe of the manner in which Rafa carries himself both on and off the court. In the past too, both sportsmen have complimented each other on their achievements from time to time.
via Reuters
Tennis – ATP Masters 1000 – Madrid Open – Caja Magica, Madrid, Spain – May 7, 2021 Spain’s Rafael Nadal in action during his quarter final match against Germany’s Alexander Zverev REUTERS/Sergio Perez
Sergio spoke on Nadal’s recent accolade and stated, “A big congratulations to my friend Rafael Nadal on his Laureus Sport award for World Sportsman of the Year. An impressive year on and off the courts. Congrats Rafa.”
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A big congratulations to my friend @RafaelNadal on his @LaureusSport award for World Sportsman of the Year. An impressive year on and off the courts. Congrats Rafa 💯 https://t.co/w0UeMO29fM
— Sergio Garcia (@TheSergioGarcia) May 11, 2021
Rafael Nadal engages in golf every now and then
Over the years, tennis fans have seen Rafa indulge in golf. Besides tennis, the 34-year-old enjoys his time on the golf courses. In fact, he plays the game with some seriousness and even competes in amateur tournaments on occasion. Garcia and Nadal have both visited each other at the tournaments of their respective sports.
Golf + Tennis = Sergio Garcia and U.S. Open finalist Rafael Nadal (Getty Images). Rafa's taken the first set. pic.twitter.com/TqMvkkb6of”
— Joshua Jacobs (@JoshuaJTGA) September 9, 2013
Garcia plays golf on the PGA Tour as well as on the European Tour. In all, he has won 36 tournaments on an international level. His most notable achievements are the Players Championships 2008 and the European Golfer of the Year 2017 award.
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via Reuters
Tennis – ATP 500 – Barcelona Open – Real Club de Tennis Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain – April 23, 2021 Spain’s Rafael Nadal in action during his quarter final match against Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie REUTERS/Albert Gea
Meanwhile, in the tennis world, the clay-court tournaments are underway and Nadal has suffered setbacks in the recent events. Although he won his 12th title in Barcelona, he lost early in Monte Carlo and Madrid.
He is currently in Rome for the Italian Open and has his final chance of winning an ATP Masters 1000 clay-court event for the season this week. In his opening round match, Nadal is up against a tricky opponent in Italian teenager Jannik Sinner. It will certainly be a tougher challenge than what opening round matches usually pose, and it will be interesting to see how the Spaniard performs.
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Also Read: “Going to Keep Fighting”: Rafael Nadal Ready to Battle Against Next-Gens for More Grand Slams
