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Real Madrid won their 34th league title yesterday after beating Villarreal 2-1. While the victory couldn’t be celebrated in the stadium due to the ongoing pandemic, fans around the world were ecstatic at their team’s historic feat - and one of those fans was tennis legend Rafael Nadal.
Known to be an ardent follower of ‘Los Blancos’, Nadal expressed his happiness at his favorite team’s win while speaking to Real Madrid TV.
Rafael Nadal has been a fan of the club since his childhood days, as his family had strong connections with the sport. One of his uncles - Miguel Angel Nadal - was a defender for FC Barcelona as well as the Spain national team. However, as his father was a staunch supporter of Real Madrid, Rafael Nadal followed suit.
Rafael Nadal on Real Madrid's 34th league title
For a club of Real Madrid's stature, it is considered a great disappointment to lose the league title to arch-rivals FC Barcelona. And to do so for two consecutive seasons, an even bigger one.
Madrid had won the LaLiga title just once in the previous seven years - a statistic that was like torture for all their fans, including Rafael Nadal. But they say that the greater the agony, the greater is the ecstasy, and that seems to apply here as well.
Being a top-level sportsperson himself, Rafael Nadal pointed out that Real Madrid's win was ‘a good example of overcoming’.
“(There was) a great personal commitment from each player. When the players have been at home they have fulfilled their routine, because they have returned in a great state of form, which is more complicated than when you are in a group. For me it is a good example of overcoming, passion for what you do and commitment to your professional front," Nadal said to Real Madrid TV.
Rafael Nadal is known to be one of the most intense players in the game of tennis, but what often wins him matches against the likes of Federer, Djokovic and Wawrinka etc is his defensive acumen. Nadal is arguably the best in the world when it comes to surviving long periods of play with the odds stacked against him.
So it doesn’t come as a surprise that he was quite impressed with Real Madrid’s defensive record this season.
“I stick with professionalism," Nadal said. "The commitment has been enormous. The team has managed to be a very solid block, they have scored very few goals and from there it has been the basis of success. It has not been the most scoring year that we have had as a team, but perhaps in this particular year, the fact of being such a solid block behind has meant that those from the front could develop their talent when necessary.”
Needless to say Rafael Nadal was delighted at Real Madrid’s title win, but at the same time he sounded a bit crestfallen about the fate of his home team - RCD Mallorca. Not a big club by any means and certainly nowhere close in stature to Real Madrid, Mallorca saw themselves getting relegated to the second division of Spanish football.
“I personally lived a very happy day yesterday for the title, but also very sad for the descent of Mallorca. It is a very important result within the club because it represents one of the club's values, the spirit of improvement,” he added.
Rafael Nadal on the return of tennis
While competitive football is back, tennis is still some way off from returning. The American hardcourt swing is due to begin in August, but the pandemic presents a serious challenge for everyone involved.
Many players, including Rafael Nadal, seem hesitant about taking part in the US Open. Nadal on his part has continued with his training anyway, but quite interestingly he was spotted hitting on clay last week.
On the near future of tennis, Rafael Nadal admitted that he is not sure how things will unfold.
“That is not known yet, I am working at my academy every day and preparing for what may come. Tennis lives a very complicated situation, since it involves people from all over the world. We are waiting for events and hopefully this nightmare will end soon and we can return to the life we have known," Nadal said.
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
