"Congratulations on your first big victory" - Rafael Nadal hails Spaniard Carlos Sainz's first F1 win at British Grand Prix 

Twenty-two-time Grand Slam Champion Rafael Nadal congratulated his fellow Spaniard Carlos Sainz after the 27-year-old emerged victorious at the British Grand Prix, marking the biggest F1 win of his career.

Carlos Sainz Vazquez de Castro, otherwise known as Carlos Sainz Jr., overtook his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc after a late Safety Car was called into action to snatch his first-ever victory in F1. Sergio Perez charged to second ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who completed the podium.

Nadal, who's currently competing at the Wimbledon Championships, took to his Instagram handle to acknowledge the 27-year-old's first F1 Grand Prix win.

"Enhorabuena por tu primera gran victoria!" Rafael Nadal wrote, which translates to congratulations on your first big win!

Credits: Rafael Nadal Instagram story

With Max Verstappen out of contention for podium places due to a tire puncture, it turned into a three-way fight between the Ferraris and Hamilton, who led a race for the first time this season when Sainz and Leclerc made their pitstops.

The win always looked like a tall order for Hamilton, who found himself hunting down Sainz and Leclerc with a significant tire offset. Ferrari eventually reversed their cars to allow the faster Charles Leclerc through, but Silverstone would serve up one final twist when Esteban Ocon stopped on the old pit straight with a fuel pump issue, which resulted in the Safety Car being called.

Splitting their strategy, Ferrari opted to keep Leclerc out under the Safety Car while Sainz came into the pits for fresh soft tires, along with Hamilton and Perez.

On the restart, Sainz used his fast tires to snatch the lead from Leclerc on the Wellington Straight and checked out in front en route to sealing a breakthrough win in the most entertaining on-track squabble of the year as F1’s new era delivered a fantastic spectacle.

Following Nadal's 14th win at Roland Garros last month, Sainz congratulated the Spaniard and declared him to be the "best tennis player in history."

“Congratulations Rafael Nadal !! The best tennis player in history!!” Sainz wrote on his Twitter handle.

Nadal is currently challenging for a 23rd Major at the Wimbledon Championships and is also chasing a Calendar Slam this year after winning the first two Majors. It's been 52 years since any man won all four Grand Slams in the same year, with Rod Laver being the last player to achieve the remarkable feat in 1969.

Rafael Nadal's next opponent at the Wimbledon Championships

Day Six: The Championships - Wimbledon 2022

Nadal took some time to settle in on the grass courts after making his first appearance at Wimbledon since 2019. He picked up hard-fought wins over Francisco Cerundolo and Ricardas Berankis in the first two rounds but showed his class against Lorenzo Sonego in the third round.

The Spaniard was in complete control throughout the match, capping off an impressive 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 victory over the Italian to set up a fourth-round clash against 21st seed Botic van de Zandschulp.

Van de Zandschulp showed great character to outclass World No. 69 Richard Gasquet in the third round and is through to the last 16 at the All England Club for the first time in his career.

He will be ecstatic to share the stage with one of the greatest players in history at one of the most iconic Grand Slams and will be eager to put his best foot forward. The duo will begin their match on Centre Court at approximately 5 pm local time on Monday, July 4.

Van de Zandschulp and Nadal have faced off once before, with the Spaniard coming out on top at the 2022 French Open in straight sets.