Rafael Nadal shows his support for local youth football competition in Mallorca, takes pictures with kids and staff

Rafael Nadal is currently sidelined with a rib stress fracture that he sustained in Indian Wells during his semi-final match against compatriot Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard is recuperating from injury, but made time to show his support for a youth football competition in Mallorca. He even posed for pictures with a group of boys participating in the East Mallorca Cup.

The East Mallorca Cup is a football tournament held yearly in Mallorca, with kids divided into 90 teams. The tournament was held very close to the Rafa Nadal Academy.

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Rafael Nadal's dream start to 2022 season hit by injuries

Nadal in action against Taylor Fritz

The Spaniard had a dream start to the season with a title in the Melbourne Summer Set. He then beat the likes of Adrian Mannarino, Matteo Berrettini and Denis Shapovalov to reach the Australian Open final where he faced Daniil Medvedev. After dropping the first two sets against Medvedev, Nadal mounted an improbable comeback and captured a record 21st Grand Slam title.

Rafael Nadal then competed at Acapulco, where he once again had to see off Medvedev in the semifinals en route to his fourth title in the Mexican city.

The Spaniard then sustained a rub injury in Indian Wells, following which it was revealed that he would be out for at least a month.

Nadal withdrew from the Monte-Carlo Masters last week and will also skip the Barcelona Open. He is expected to return at the Madrid Open, which begins on 4 May. The Spaniard lost to eventual champion Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals last year.

Rafael Nadal will now come into the claycourt season with over 2000 points to defend. He will drop 180 ranking points from his 2019 Madrid Masters semifinal run and 1000 points each from 2021 Italian Open and 2020 Roland Garros respectively.

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Also Check Out :-Barcelona Open 2022 Schedule

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