Tennis G.O.A.T Rafael Nadal Once Had the Highest Order of Appreciation for Tiger Woods: ‘He’s the Most Charismatic Star Golf Has Had in the Past 50 Years’

Tiger Woods is indisputably one of the best golfers to play the sport. His records alone defend the astonishing statement. Athletes from other sports too have admired his greatness. Throwback to 2017, when the Tennis star, Rafael Nadal, cut short his vacation to watch Tiger Woods make his comeback to the sport.

Tiger Woods and Rafael Nadal have developed a great friendship over the years thanks to their involvement with Nike. Both stars have praised each other several times in the past. Back in 2017, Tiger returned to play professional golf after a nine months absence from the course.

The 15-time Major champion returned to participate in the Hero World Challenge which is his charity event. The highly anticipated return of the golfer was closely watched by several fans around the world including the 22 Grand Slam title winner Rafael Nadal.

Rafael Nadal praises Tiger Woods

Nadal was vacationing in the neighborhood of Exuma Island, before deciding to travel in for the day to watch Woods play. He was surprised by how well-rested the golfer appeared after a nine-month injury layoff.

While speaking to The Post, Rafa talked about how surprisingly good Tiger looked on course. He said, “I’ve seen him play before, but I didn’t expect to watch him play this well at the beginning. I think this is a very important moment now for golf and himself and for all the people who love the sport in general. He’s the most charismatic star golf has had in the past 50 years or so. For everyone to see him back is something great for the sport.”

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Nadal is familiar with the challenging process of returning to the pinnacle of his performance. The 36-year-old tennis player has endured numerous career-ending knee and foot ailments in the past. Moreover, he recently had to withdraw from the 2022 Wimbledon Semi-Final against Nick Kyrgios due to an abdominal injury. However, the star is expected to return for the US Open at the end of August later this year.

Rafa further talks about how challenging the process of coming back can be for a person. But people like Tiger Woods and Rafael Nadal who have a strong mentality overcome all the difficult phases in their life to claim back their thrones.

Nadal ends by saying, “I’m happy to see him play well. Tiger is unbelievable. I just love to see him play whether it is here or on TV. The first thing is you need to be healthy to practice again, as well as be mentally strong to do the things you think you need to do to be back to your top. If Tiger’s healthy, then I believe that has everything to where he deserves to be.”

Ever since the 2017 Hero World Challenge, both athletes have gone to achieve more success in their respective sports. Woods went on to claim his 15th Major title two years later, to win the 2019 Masters. On the other side, Nadal’s road to glory seems to have no dead end as the tennis star managed to win 6 more Grand Slam titles in the past 5 years.

It’s great to see two of the very best athletes in the world of sports share such an enormous amount of respect for each other. Is the Nike duo the best friendship in the world of sports? Comment below!

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