After training in Paris on Thursday and Friday, Rafael Nadal left for Mallorca on Saturday. The winner of 22 Majors was best man at the wedding of his best friend (Bartolomé Salva-Vidal, or simply Tomeu, as Rafa calls him).
Rafa enjoyed the ceremony with his friends, taking a short break from tennis before concentrating on next week’s Paris Masters. Nadal is ready to continue his season after spending almost two months away from the courts.
The Spaniard arrived in Paris on Wednesday and did three training sessions on Thursday and Friday with Quentin Halys, David Goffin and Sebastian Korda. Rafa has not played singles matches following the US Open fourth round loss to Frances Tiafoe in four sets.
He has been dealing with an abdominal injury since Wimbledon, playing just five games after the All England Club and losing pace and form. Nadal gave his best at the US Open as he chased his third Major crown of the season, but it didn’t work out for him.
Rafael Nadal attended his good friend’s wedding on Saturday.
He returned home to Mallorca and welcomed his first child with his wife, Xisca. Rafa has been the second best player in 2022 behind Carlos Alcaraz, winning two Major titles and getting back into the top-2 at 36.
Nadal missed the second part of 2021 and recovered earlier this year. He was 20-0 at the start of the season before injuring a rib in Indian Wells. He lost the final to Taylor Fritz and skipped Monte Carlo and Barcelona, his favorite events.
The king of clay did not play well in Madrid and Rome after a long break, and the pain in his foot bothered him again ahead of Roland Garros. Rafa needed injections before every match and survived all the odds to secure the 22nd Major from him.
Rafa reached the Wimbledon semi-finals but was unable to play against Nick Kyrgios. The Spaniard revealed a seven-millimeter tear to his abdomen and left the tournament after an epic quarter-final win over Taylor Fritz in five sets.
Nadal skipped the Canada Masters and suffered an early loss in Cincinnati to Borna Coric, playing well below his best and struggling to serve. Rafa couldn’t play at his best in New York, still feeling the pain and making an early exit to Frances Tiafoe despite giving his best.
Nadal played alongside Roger Federer in the Laver Cup and went home the next day, eager to train and recover from injury. The Spaniard used the previous weeks to work on his game and get in good shape before Paris and Turin, he never won these tournaments and he wanted to change that in the coming weeks.
Nadal is fighting with Carlos Alcaraz for the no. 1 honors, he needs good results in both events if he wants to pass a teenager and finish on top.
