Spain’s legendary tennis star
Rafael Nadal won another trophy despite not participating in the US Open. The 38-year-old is regarded as one of
the greatest players in the history of men’s tennis in the singles category,
having won as many as 22 Grand Slam titles in his illustrious career.
Nadal decided to skip the recently concluded US Open because
of fitness concerns. The former world number one, during his time off the
court, decided to play an amateur golf tournament and ended up winning it. Nadal
lifted the scratch category title in the Robinson Classic at the Vall d'Or Golf
Club in Mallorca. He was competing against 74 other golfers in the event. It is
not the first time when Nadal has won an amateur golf tournament in his career.
Nadal has struggled with fitness concerns throughout the later
stages of his career. It was because of this reason he ended up missing three
out of four Grand Slams in 2023. During his time off the court, he announced
that the 2024 season would be his last at the highest level. Nadal returned to
the court earlier this year but has continued to struggle with fitness
concerns. He once again ended up missing three out of four Grand Slams this
year.
His only participation in a major event was in the French
Open, where he was knocked out after losing to current world number two Germany’s
Alexander Zverev in straight sets in the first round with a score of 6-3, 7-6, 6-3.
Nadal most recently participated in the Paris Olympics, where, surprisingly, he
played in both the singles and doubles categories. His journey in the singles category came to an end in the second round when he lost to Serbia’s legendary tennis star, Novak Djokovic, in straight sets with a score of 6-1, 6-4. In the doubles
category, he along with his partner Carlos Alcaraz, lost in the quarterfinal to
America’s pair of Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek with a score of 6-2, 6-4.
