Tennis superstar Rafael Nadal may be one of the best to ever wield a racket, but the Spaniard is also an avid golfer, as evidenced by his recent triumph at a mid-amateur tournament in Mallorca.
The former World No.1 recently withdrew from the Qatar Open in Doha, citing failure to recover from a hip muscle injury sustained earlier in the year at the Brisbane International. Nadal had been sidelined for close to a year, as he missed the bulk of the 2023 season during to an injury suffered at last year's Australian Open.
Nadal spent his weekend competing at a mid-amateur event in Mallorca and won in the scratch category. Several fans reacted to the 22-Grand Slam champion's latest achievement, with many pointing out the fact that he played with his right hand while others criticized his form.
"So funny seeing him play right-handed. I remember Casper, who’s also super into golf, saying that Rafa's stroke looks terrible in golf but somehow still works pretty well for him. I’m no golf expert but have watched it here and there and would agree it looks pretty ugly compared to what I usually see but he must be decent," a fan wrote on Reddit.
"That is one ugly swing, but I guess it works for him," said another fan.
"He’s got the $. Have someone coach him to take a better backswing. I’m no golf expert but I can see the blatant difference in his abbreviated, tennis 2 handed backhand inspired golf swing as compared to a more traditional golf swing. He makes it work and sometimes that half the battle. Better to be about it than to look about it," insisted another fan.
"Just imagine if golf was played on clay," wrote another fan.
"Finally found a shot uglier than (Cam) Norrie's backhand," opined another fan.
"Imagine if he becomes a gold pro after retiring from tennis," said a fan.
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I would have loved to play in Doha, where the tournament team, as well as the amazing Qatar fans have always supported me greatly. Unfortunately I am not ready to compete and I won’t be able to come to Doha where I really wanted to be and play again after that unforgettable win