A Nadal in pickleball? Sister of Rafael Nadal takes part in exhibition to open new academy

Sister of the former world number and Spain’s legendary tennis star Rafael Nadal recently played in a pickleball event.

Pickleball is the newest form of tennis currently being explored in different parts of the world. In the recent past, some of the big-name players who recently retired from professional tennis have also played the newest format.

Nadal’s sister Maribel Nadal became the latest high-profile figure to take part in the pickleball event. In a video posted on social media platform X — previously known as Twitter — Maribel stated that it was fun to take part in a new format. "It actually is super fun and I had a very, very good time,” she said. “It's the first time I played pickleball. If you've played tennis, you'll recognize some things but the rules are different, and the technique is also different. I had so much fun.

"We have 45 tennis courts and 16 paddle courts, it gives us great satisfaction to have the first pickleball court in the Balearic Islands. I think it's a super fun sport. I am sure that the kids of the Academy and the adults who come to our facilities will have a great time.”