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Fans have reacted funnily to Rafael Nadal being the top choice of top-ranked women's tennis players Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Angelique Kerber for being a partner in a mixed doubles team.
The leading names on the WTA (Women's Tennis Association) Tour and current No. 1 Novak Djokovic on the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Tour were asked about who their dream mixed doubles partner was in a snap interview at the Indian Wells tournament. Swiatek, Gauff, Pegula, Kerber, and Djokovic picked the Spanish tennis legend.
Rafael Nadal is no stranger to doubles. He won the doubles gold at the Rio Olympics in 2016. With this feat, Rafael Nadal became the first male player to complete a 'Career Golden Slam' and win a gold in both singles and doubles events at the Olympics.
"It’s so funny how Rafa is so popular with the girls but he’s so painfully shy. The one time talked to a girl on Twitter it became a long standing meme," a fan posted on Reddit.
Fans pointed out that Nadal, who has won 22 Grand Slam titles in singles, is quite good at doubles making him a top choice among players.
"Nadal is quite good at doubles he us perhaps the only top player whois good at both," a fan said. "Didnt he win olympics gold in single and doubles?" another fan asked.
Fans also said that Rafael Nadal's good on-court behavior and his abilities made him a favorite to be a partner.
"Rafa's on court demeanor is truly inspirational," a fan said. "Everybody Loves Rafa," another fan said.
Funnily, Djokovic also answered "Nadal" to the query. But when it was pointed out that it was mixed doubles, he instantly clarified that he didn't hear it properly, prompting a burst of laughter from both the interviewer as well as the Serb.
Djokovic's funny reaction to the query also gathered a lot of attention with fans pointing out that the Serb was probably thinking about the time he played doubles with Nadal. Back in 2010, then No. 2 Djokovic and then No. 1 Rafael Nadal teamed up for doubles at Toronto. It was the first time since 1976 that the top-2 players in the world played together.
"Novak was remembering the good ‘ol days https://youtu.be/WKlh5axV84c?si=jzNLTEmaosg5wG9E," a fan stated.
"LOL there was like a 0.5 second pause where Djokovic looked like he was daydreaming of them playing doubles together, then he realized it," another fan said.
Here are some more reactions from fans:
Rafael Nadal pulled out of Indian Wells Masters citing lack of preparedness
Rafael Nadal withdrew from the BNP Paribas Open 2024 at Indian Wells stating that he was not prepared enough to compete at the highest level. Nadal, who won the Indian Wells title three times, holds a 59-11 record at the tournament.
The 37-year-old was scheduled to play against Milos Raonic of Canada in the first round of the event on March 7. He has not played on the professional tour ever since his participation at the Brisbane International in January in his comeback tournament after a hip injury.
Nadal has battled a series of injuries that kept him away from tennis for most of the 2023 season. He, however, participated in the inaugural 'Netflix Slam' against compatriot and No. 2 player in the world Carlos Alcaraz in Las Vegas.
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
