Rafael Nadal is one of the greatest athletes not just in tennis but in the entire sporting world. Turning pro in 2001, the Spanish sensation continues to be one of the most dominant players on the tour. Following his two-decade-long career, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that the 35-year-old is one of the most loved players in the sport.
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Carrying a magnificent aura, Nadal receives a huge amount of love and blessings from his fans through social media. However, as one says, every good thing also has a bad side to it. Despite love from a plethora of fans, the Spaniard also falls prey to social media hatred. Recently, Nadal responded in an interview about the hate he receives on social media.
How does Nadal handle social media hatred?
Looking at Nadal’s social media accounts, one can easily understand that the 21-time Grand Slam champion is not a very active social media user. Unlike his counterparts, Nadal is rarely seen uploading content across his social media accounts. Diving deeper, it’s fairly obvious that his social media posts for years have more or less been related to his game.
Despite his truncated usage, Nadal is a regular prey of social media hatred. The current World No. 5 is mainly mocked for losing in the early rounds, and his struggle with injuries.
Recently, the 13-time French Open champion opened up about the effects of such hatred on him. Speaking up, the Spaniard asserted that he is not from the social media savvy generation. As a result, he doesn’t realize that he has received such messages.
“I’m from another generation. I don’t live in social media. I put a photo or two sometimes, but nothing more than that. If I receive bad messages on social media, I really don’t realize.”
Rafa Nadal on social media threaths.
"I'm from another generation. I don't live in social media. I put a photo or two sometimes, but nothing more than that. If I receive bad messages on social media, I really don't realize."
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) May 27, 2022
Looking at the numbers, Nadal has 14.5 million followers on Instagram. On the other hand, he has 15.7 million followers on Twitter. Nadal also has a whopping 14 million followers on Facebook.
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Rafael Nadal at the French Open
On the tennis front, Rafael Nadal is currently in Paris, competing at his favorite tournament, the French Open. Eyeing his 14th title on the clay courts of Stade Roland Garros, Nadal kicked off his campaign with a first-round win over Australia’s Jordan Thompson.
Going ahead, he next outplayed French player Corentin Moutet. Being in mesmerizing form, he further went on to beat the 26th seed Botic van de Zandschulp in the third round. Yet to drop a set, he is now in the Last 16. Moving an inch closer to his 14th French title, Nadal will next face Canadian rising star, Felix Auger Aliassime in the fourth round.
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