It has not been an easy season for Rafa Nadal. The Mallorcan athlete, who already announced that this would be his last year in the competition, is not going through an easy time due to injuries. However, this Saturday, April 27, the Spanish tennis player has received the warmth of the public at the Mutua Madrid Open, where a large number of recognized faces have traveled.
Tormented and haunted by injuries, the man from Manacor knows that each game could be his last and he is already saying goodbye to each competition. On this occasion, he has been very well accompanied by his family, who did not want to miss the event, nor did faces of the stature of King Felipe VI, María Castro, Pablo Motos or Roberto Leal, among others. And the truth is that all of them have seen Rafa win.
The Spaniard defeated the Australian tennis player Alex De Miñaur 7-6 (8/6) and 6-3 and earned his place in the third round in a match with a lot of meaning, since he beat a good tennis player, played well and has regained confidence for the following rounds. "No, no, not yet (about whether he is the Nadal of before). It takes time. There have been moments of good level of tennis, I have been able to do positive things. But it still comes and goes. Super happy to be able to compete against a great player like Alex. Playing for two hours means a lot to me. The atmosphere... I can't thank you enough," he said after the game.
With Nadal's permission, there have also been other protagonists in the Caja Mágica today. Other recognized faces from the world of sports, television and even royalty have traveled there. The protagonist in the stands has been Felipe VI, who had already confirmed his attendance at the event. The monarch sat next to the mayor of the capital, José Luis Martínez-Almeida. His last match supporting Rafa Nadal was in 2022, when he traveled to Paris for the Roland Garros.
Other faces have also attended, such as Helen Lindes, Rudy Fernández, Pablo Motos and Carolina Cerezuela. The latter sat next to the acting couple formed by Natalia Sánchez and Marc Clotet. Nobody wanted to miss Rafa's game. Nor did the actress María Castro, who gave birth on April 9, want to miss this appointment with sport. In fact, she has gone with her newborn, who is sure that in the future she will also be passionate about this sport. Vinicius Jr. and Zinédine Zidane were also seen.
Nor could Roberto Leal be missing, another of the fixed faces in the tennis matches that take place in Madrid. On this occasion, the Pasapalabra presenter sat right in front of his partner Pablo Motos, and went with his wife, Sara Rubio.
While it is certain that each of these visits will have given Nadal strength, there has been one that has stood out above the rest. His wife, Xisca Perelló, has always been his greatest supporter, so she could not miss this appointment, in which he attended along with other family members. The young woman has been seen with her mother, María Pascual, and her mother-in-law, Ana María Parera.
