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Rafael Nadal's glittering legacy has been a huge source of pride for Spain. And among the myriad of honors bestowed upon him by his country, the latest one is quite special.
On Friday, the Royal Spanish Tennis Federation (RFET) - the national governing body for the sport in Spain - approved the proposal to honor Rafael Nadal's achievements in a unique way. Starting next year, Rafael Nadal's birthday - 3 June - will be celebrated as 'National Tennis Day' in his home country.
Nadal, a 20-time Grand Slam champion, has led Spain to five Davis Cup victories over the course of his career. He has also won two gold medals at the Olympics - one in singles (2008) and one in doubles (2016).
The idea to mark Rafael Nadal's birthday as a special occasion first came up during the Roland Garros tournament earlier this month. Alvaro Benito and two-time French Open finalist Alex Corretja were covering the second-round match between Nadal and Richard Gasquet on Eurosport, when they started discussing a specific tweet from former Spanish tennis player Jorge Mir Mayor.
Mayor had suggested declaring June 3 - Rafael Nadal's birthday - as 'National Tennis Day'. That soon attracted the attention of the Spanish media and officials, the latter of whom then tabled a proposal before the RFET.
And on Friday, the RFET officially announced that the proposal had been green lit.
Miguel Diaz Roman, president of the RFET, claimed that he had been in favor of the initiative ever since it was brought to his notice.
"I was listening to Eurosport comments about Nadal's game and I immediately understood that the idea was magnifice," Roman said through an RFET statement. "Spanish Tennis has a lot to celebrate. We have the most outstanding tennis player of all time, we are current Davis Cup champions and we are in the finals of the Billie Jean King Cup. I think, as I say, we have a lot to celebrate."
The National Tennis Day will see people from all over Spain participating in some kind of tennis activity. The objective of the day is to create greater awareness about tennis, with involvement from the various federations, clubs and fan groups across the country.
Rafael Nadal to skip Wimbledon and the Olympics
On Thursday, Rafael Nadal revealed that he would not take part in Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics, citing the need to protect his body after a grueling claycourt season. The 35-year-old also pointed out that the short two-week turnaround between Roland Garros and Wimbledon had played a part in his decision.
While Rafael Nadal will not be able to bring any glory to Spain at this year's Olympics, his contributions to the nation are already the stuff of legend. Marking out his birthday as a special day is a fitting tribute to the man that many believe is the most popular and inspiring Spaniard to have ever lived.
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