Rafael Nadal becomes first tennis player ever to reach 20 million followers on Instagram

Rafael Nadal has been out of action since this year's Australian Open. The Spaniard's inactivity from tennis, however, has not deterred him from gaining hoards of new followers on social media.

Earlier on Sunday (September 10), he became the first tennis player ever to hit 20 million followers on Instagram.

The 22-time Major winner's celebrity status has grown immensely over the last few years. Although he doesn't post regularly on Instagram, the quality of his collaborations has always garnered attention towards his brands on social media.

Serena Williams, meanwhile, comes in second on the list of most-followed tennis players on the photo-sharing site, with 17 million followers to boot. The likes of Novak Djokovic, Sania Mirza and Roger Federer are far away from the 22-time Major winner in the list, with 13.8, 12.2 and 12 million followers respectively.

The likes of Maria Sharapova (4.5 million), Carlos Alcaraz (4.3 million), Nick Kyrgios (4.1 million), Naomi Osaka (2.7 million), and Emma Raducanu (2.5 million) round out the top-10 list of most-followed players.

Rafael Nadal believes that the 2024 ATP tour season may very well turn out to be his last

Rafael Nadal grimaces during his second-round exit at the 2023 Australian Open

While the Spaniard has had a significant impact off-court, he has failed to make in-roads on-court this year. Nadal has been sitting out ever since injuring his hip during a practice session in early 2023.

The 37-year-old has undergone arthroscopic surgery to rectify the problem since then, but is looking at a long road of rehabilitation before he can compete on the ATP tour again.

The Spaniard has only played four matches this year, losing three of them - to Cameron Norrie, Alex de Minaur, and Mackenzie McDonald. The last of those three losses came in straight sets at this year's Australian Open, where he had reigned supreme in 2009 and 2022.

Nadal also withdrew from all of the big tournaments during this year's European claycourt swing, including Roland Garros, where he has triumphed 14 times during his illustrious career. At the moment, it is unclear whether he will be returning to competitive action in 2023.

It is also pertinent to note that the 22-time Major winner admitted not too long ago that the 2024 ATP tour season would most likely be his last.