Rafael Nadal has had it all this season. After a glorious start to the season, which saw him win the Australian Open and the French Open titles apart from other trophies, his momentum was affected by untimely injury setbacks. Off the court, the Spaniard has enjoyed his time playing other sports, like golf. Now, Nadal has showcased his interest in another global sport. He took to his social media accounts to support Spain’s basketball team.
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On the tennis front, the Spaniard reached the round-of-16 in the recently concluded US Open before eventually losing against Frances Tiafoe. Nonetheless, looking at the overall scenario, the former World Number 1 has had a memorable season.
Rafael Nadal cheers for Spain’s Basketball team during the EuroBasket finals
The 22-time Grand Slam champion took to Instagram to shower his support for his country’s basketball team. He spotted the national team’s jersey in the video that he shared on his official Instagram handle. Additionally, he captioned the video, “Vamosssss!!”
Rafa supporting Spain’s national basketball team in the Eurobasket final 🎾🔥🇪🇸
📸 Rafa’s IG pic.twitter.com/n3sXf1gWVl
— Olly 🎾🇬🇧 (@Olly_Tennis_) September 18, 2022
The Spanish national basketball team defeated Germany in the semifinal of the EuroBasket 2022 to set up a clash with France. Subsequently, they went on to defeat France 88-76 to lift the title.
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Meanwhile, Nadal will feature at the 2022 Laver Cup. This year’s edition of the tournament will take place at The O2 Arena in London and will commence on 23rd September.
There is a possibility that Nadal and Federer will team up for one final time to play doubles at the Laver Cup. The Swiss maestro had announced his retirement earlier this month, putting curtains on an illustrious career.
Apart from these two, the likes of Djokovic, Murray, Tsitsipas, and Ruud will also feature for Team Europe at the tournament. On the other hand, Team World boasts of stars like Tiafoe, Fritz, Sock, Felix, Schwartzman, and Alex De Minaur.
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Ivan Ljubicic on Federer-Nadal rivalry
During an interview, Federer’s coach opened up about the Swiss maestro’s rivalry against Nadal. He said, “Roger was worried and under pressure. He felt inferior, and we had to assure him he was capable of winning.”
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Nadal and Federer faced off against each other 40 times during their careers, with Federer winning 16 of these matches.
Can Nadal help Federer end his career on a high by lifting the Laver Cup this year?