Tag: Rafael Nadal

Nike’s awesome tribute to Rafael Nadal will absolutely give you chills

What an incredible tribute to Nadal here

Nike has always been great at making its athletes stand above the competition. It’s as good of a marketing company as it is a sportswear company.

Knowing that, it’s easy to be cynical about some of the ads we watch with the brand’s athletes. Usually, Nike makes things feel a bit bigger than they actually are.

READ MORE: The tennis world showed Nadal so much love after he announced his retirement.

But, man. It’s hard not to get emotional when watching this ad for Rafael Nadal.

Nike released this spot before Nadal’s debut at the 2024 Davis Cup for Team Spain. It’s absolutely chilling.

Nadal wiping the clay surface that he dominated his entire career clean in that way just brings back so many memories. This was awesome.

Fans gave Rafael Nadal a standing ovation at the Davis Cup after he lost his potential last match

If this is it for Nadal, it’s been a great ride.

Rafael Nadal has had a long career spanning through two decades. In that time, he’s become one of the greatest tennis players we’ve ever seen.

Now, he’s retiring. And he may have played his last professional match ever at the Davis Cup on Tuesday.

FEDERER SHOWS LOVE: Nadal received a beautiful tribute from Roger Federer on Instagram ahead of his match

Nadal played the first match for Team Spain on Tuesday, where he lost 6-4, 6-4 to Botic van de Zandschulp of Team Netherlands. Since it’s a team competition, we don’t know whether this is truly it for Nadal here.

But, regardless of if it is, fans still took the time to shower him with love. He received a standing ovation from the crowd after the match.

This is so well-deserved for Nadal. What a career. What a moment.

Roger Federer’s Rafael Nadal tribute before retirement is just beautiful

This is beautiful.

Rafael Nadal is about to officially head into retirement after the Davis Cup, and with the possibility that we’ll see him play his final match on Tuesday, his friend and rival Roger Federer penned a beautiful message to Rafa on social media.

“As you get ready to graduate from tennis, I’ve got a few things to share before I maybe get emotional,” Federer started.

He went on to talk about how Nadal made him work harder on his game, how he thought he was on top of the world in 2004 … and then Nadal and “those biceps” showed up.

“We were both at the start of our journey and it’s one we ended up taking together,” he wrote. “Twenty years later, Rafa, I have to say: What an incredible run you’ve had. Including 14 French Opens—historic! You made Spain proud… you made the whole tennis world proud.”

There’s so much more. Read the whole thing below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DCi2LcnxT5O/?hl=en&img_index=1

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Who is Rafael Nadal’s wife? Meet Maria ‘Xisca’ Perello.

Meet Rafa Nadal’s wife, Mery.

Rafael Nadal will be spending a lot more time with his family now that he’s getting ready to retire in 2024, and that includes with his wife, Maria, who’s also known as Mery “Xisca” Perello, who is also from Mallorca.

Per People, “The couple dated for 14 years before tying the knot in October 2019, and have remained relatively quiet about their romance.” And in 2022, they welcomed their son, Rafa Junior, who has been seen at matches of his in recent years.

Here are a few photos of them, although we haven’t seen too many of those over the years given their privacy:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMhnXZDBOdn/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BEEK9mHwaqB/

Aug 29, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Rafael Nadal’s girlfriend, Maria Francisca Perello ‘Xisca’ in attendance for his match on day four of the 2013 US Open at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports 

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Rafael Nadal’s retirement announcement leads to so much love from the tennis world

Rafael Nadal is retiring and the tennis world paid tribute.

We sort of all figured it was coming, with Rafael Nadal at 38 years old and so many titles under his belt in a storied tennis career to go along with injuries he’s battled with.

But yes, he’s going to retire after the Davis Cup in November. He’ll finish with 14 French Open wins (a record), four U.S. Opens, two Wimbledon titles and two trophies from the Australian Open.

His announcement that dropped early Thursday morning that you can watch below was beautiful, and so many players and others in the tennis world paid tribute to Rafa as his retirement now approaches:

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Rafael Nadal having his 14 French Open titles announced before his opening match will give you goosebumps

Don’t mind us. Currently watching this on an endless loop.

An announcer read off tennis legend Rafael Nadal‘s 14 French Open titles ahead of his first-round match on Monday, and fans absolutely loved it.

Rafael Nadal is known for his impeccable skills during any tournament played on clay. But the French Open’s clay courts might truly be what sets him apart. Per Roland-Garros, his overall record on clay is an astounding 112-3. Additionally, Nadal’s 97 percent winning percentage is the best by any player at a single Grand Slam tournament.

So, it’s not shocking that a French Open announcer read off every single title at the tournament that Rafael Nadal has won during his career. The moment was so sneaky good and will give you goosebumps. WHEW.

Right on cue, fans couldn’t get over how awesome the moment was. Here’s what they reacted to the video on social media:

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Look: McVay, Stafford, Nacua and Kupp sit courtside at ‘Netflix Slam’ tennis match

The Rams’ stars were out at the “Netflix Slam” where Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz squared off in Las Vegas

The stars were out at the inaugural “Netflix Slam” on Sunday night, an exhibition match between Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal in Las Vegas, including several from the Los Angeles Rams.

Videos showed Sean McVay, Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua all sitting courtside for the Nadal-Alcaraz battle, hanging out together at this awesome event. It’s obviously not the first time they’ve hung out together, but seeing them spending time as a group at an event like this is pretty cool.

Jordan Love and Colin Kaepernick were also sitting in celebrity row for the match, so it wasn’t just the Rams’ stars representing the NFL in Vegas.

Apparently McVay showed off his wide receiver hands by snagging a wayward shot by Nadal. You can only see the aftermath in the video below, but the former college receiver has some good hands.

Here’s another photo of the group together at the event, along with some others.

(Photo by David Becker/Getty Images for Netflix © 2024)

Alcaraz took down the legendary Nadal, 14-12, coming from behind to beat his idol.

2023 Australian Open, live stream, TV channel, time, featured matches, how to watch First Round

The Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of 2023, is set to take place at Melbourne Park on Sunday.

The Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of 2023, is set to take place at Melbourne Park on Sunday. In the men’s draw, Rafael Nadal will be looking to defend his title and fend off a challenge from the likes of Novak Djokovic.

In the women’s draw, the player to beat is likely to be Iga Swiatek. The young Polish player won the French Open in 2020 and has been in fine form since then. She will be looking to continue her rise up the rankings and claim her first Australian Open title.

The United States also has a number of hopes for the tournament, with Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Coco Gauff, and Jessica Pegula leading the way.

Australian Open, First Round

  • When: Jan 15th – Jan 29th
  • Live Coverage: 11:00 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: ESPN, ESPN Deportes
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)
  • Live Stream: ESPN+ (watch now)

2023 Australian Odds and Betting Lines

Australian Open odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook Sportsbook. 

Want some action on the Australian Open? Place your legal sports bets on this game or others in CO & NJ at Tipico Sportsbook. 

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Roger Federer’s farewell interview will leave you sobbing along with him (and Rafael Nadal)

It was an emotional night for everyone, from Federer and Nadal to tennis fans around the world.

Roger Federer, one of the greatest tennis players of all time, officially played his final match Friday night in London — technically it went past midnight into Saturday across the pond — marking the end of a remarkable, record-breaking career that included 20 Grand Slam championships.

Representing Team Europe in the Laver Cup, the 41-year-old superstar teamed up with friend and rival Rafael Nadal for a doubles match against against Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock of Team World.

Federer and Nadal lost a thrilling match that came down to a tiebreak, but the result of the contest wasn’t really the point. It was one last chance for one of the sport’s GOATs to take the court and one last chance for his fans to savor his excellence.

When it was all over, Federer delivered a heartfelt, emotional interview on the court, thanking his fans, his competitors and, of course, his family. It was sweet and classy, but also heartbreaking.

And while Federer struggled to maintain his composure through some tears, his fans, along with Nadal, struggled right there with him.

Federer said on the court:

“I enjoyed tying my shoes one more time, and everything was the last time. And funny enough, with all the matches and having the guys and being here — fans, family, friends — didn’t feel the stress so much. … I am so happy I made it through, and the match was great. I couldn’t be happier, so been wonderful. And of course playing with Rafa on the same team and having the guys everybody here all the legends.”

He continued:

“It is amazing. It really is. I didn’t want it to feel lonely out there. felt lonely for a second when they told me to go out or you wanted me to come out one more time, and it feels great. But to be saying goodbye on a team, I always felt that was a team player at heart. Singles doesn’t really do that a whole lot, but I’ve had a team you know traveled with me around the world. It’s been amazing with them. So thanks to everybody who made it work for so many years.

“And then of course being on the team with Andy [Murray], Thomas [Enqvist], Novak [Djokovic], Matteo [Berrettini], Cam [Bjorn Borg], Stefanos [Tsitsipas], Rafa and Casper [Ruud], and also the all the other teams of guys are unbelievable. It’s been a pleasure playing all these Laver Cups, and it does feel like a celebration to me. I want it to feel like this at the end, and it’s exactly what I hoped for. So thank you.”

It was an incredibly emotional night for Federer, those around him and his fans, as the tribute and celebration continued.

The best photos from the final match of Roger Federer’s incredible career

The 20-time Grand Slam singles champion played his final match on Friday night.

It wasn’t the way Roger Federer wanted to end his 20-time Grand Slam singles title career, but it was still an emotional night on Friday as Federer played his final professional match.

After winning the first set, Federer and doubles partner Rafael Nadal — who spent most of their careers as rivals — fell in a tiebreaker to Team World’s Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock in Federer’s lone match at the Laver Cup in London.

Federer ranks second all-time in ATP wins, and his retirement certainly marks the end of an era for the sport of tennis. After the match, Federer was honored on the court by both the fellow members of Team Europe and the opposing team.

Here were the best photos from the emotional evening.