Maribel Nadal receives Joaquin Blume Trophy on behalf of the Rafael Nadal academy for sports excellence

Maribel Nadal has always maintained a low-key reputation within the family, but she recently rose to prominence when she accepted the Joaqun Blume Trophy on behalf of the Rafael Nadal Academy, which is awarded to universities and schools that foster the promotion of the sport.

The King and Queen of Spain, who attended the awards ceremony on Monday at the Royal Palace of El Pardo, presented the honor to Rafael Nadal's sister Maribel, who also serves as the academy's marketing director.

They were accompanied by José Manuel Franco, president of the Higher Sports Council, and Miquel Iceta, minister of culture and sports.

The tennis academy founded by Nadal has gained attention after taking up the coveted prize at the Spanish Sports Awards.

The Joaquin Blume Trophy has been awarded to the Rafa Nadal Academy by the Higher Sports Council, which also coordinated the ceremony and award. The Academy received praise for its efforts to promote tennis.

Spanish gymnast Joaquin Blume competed for FC Barcelona's gymnastics team and when he was only 25-years-old, he died in a flying accident.

Rafael Nadal trains on the courts for the first time since Wimbledon

Day Ten: The Championships - Wimbledon 2022

At the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, Rafael Nadal suffered a heartbreaking loss. He was forced to withdraw before his semifinal match against Nick Kyrgios due to a 7mm abdominal tear. His prospects of pulling off a Calendar Slam, fourth Wimbledon title, and 23rd Major were dashed. However, the Spaniard can continue his unbeaten record (19-0) at Grand Slam events this year.

Nadal returned to the court on Monday, albeit it took him more than a fortnight to recuperate from the injury as the Spaniard hopes to rejoin the ATP tour early next month.

The upcoming Canadian Open and the US Open will see Nadal competing. The news has been confirmed by the Canadian Open tournament director Eugene Lapierre that the Spaniard will partake in the ATP Masters 1000 tournament, which starts from August 7.

“He’s made hotel reservations and he has asked us to send him a case of the balls we’re using for the tournament,” Lapierre said. "He should return to training on Monday.”