Rafael Nadal loves his golf outside of the world of tennis
World No. 3 Rafael Nadal has revealed his love for golf on several occasions in his career.
The 20-time Grand Slam winner has used his love for the sport, as a way to take time off from the court. He withdrew from the Wimbledon Championships and Tokyo Olympics, citing fitness reasons. Nadal is expected to return at Washington later this year.
Nadal’s love for golf began right from his early days on the circuit. He has been a vocal fan of legend Tiger Woods, who is an inspiration to him in life. Woods has won five Masters Tournaments, four PGA Championships, three U.S. Open Championships, and three British Open Championships.
“It is not new that Tiger is one of the sportsmen that I admire the most. I stay until 2 in the evening if he’s playing always at home. And I follow him every tournament that he plays. I love his attitude on the course.”
“In some way, yes, he’s an inspiration. After all the things that happened to him, he’s able to fight back, he’s able to win again, is able to put him in a position that he can win majors again. That’s fantastic I think for the sport. That’s a great history.”
Woods has not been playing golf after suffering a horrific accident in 2019. He has been on bed rest for a long time, while Nadal takes to the courses to improve his game.
Nadal, meanwhile, will look to bounce back after his humbling loss at Roland Garros in the semi-final against Djokovic.
Nadal has played various amateur tournaments in his time away from tennis. The ‘King of Clay’ has always had grueling seasons and had to involve more time to include golf. He first hosted the inaugural Rafa Nadal Golf Challenge near his home in Manacor in 2018.
Nadal has a 1.5 handicap and enjoys spending time away from the tennis court by taking to the golf course. With Spanish professional golfer Jose Maria Olazabal, Nadal organizes tournaments at Son Servera for charity. In the past, Nadal helped raise funds to aid the victims of the Sant Llorenc floods, a natural disaster that created mud slides and affected Mallorca.
In 2020, Rafael Nadal secured a top-10 finish at the Balearic Golf Championships in Mallorca. Nadal’s first ever professional golf event came at the Balearic Golf Championship in 2016.
In 2013, Rafael Nadal and José María Olazábal jointly created the charity golf tournament Olazábal & Nadal Invitational. Held annualy in Mallorca, all funds raised through this Pro-Am go towards the Rafa Nadal Foundation and the Sport Mundi Foundation -chaired by José María Olazábal-, aimed at combating social exclusion.
The tournament forms two teams captained by Nadal and Olazábal respectively. Carlota Ciganda, Gonzalo Fernández Castaño, Álvaro Quirós, Alejandro Cañizares and Eduardo de la Riva are among the golfers who have already participated in the event in the past.
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