With his eyes set on retiring on the courts and with his racket in hand, Rafael Nadal is preparing to get in shape at the US Open and play what will be his fourth and last Grand Slam. During this preparation process, the Spanish tennis player was approached with a question that has troubled the world of football for many years: Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo?
In the middle of his vacation in Greece, Nadal was recognized by two as fans strolled through the streets of Santorini. It was at this time that fans jumped at the chance and couldn’t help but ask him about his opinion of big-name sports stars.
Quickly, the world tennis star said: “Messi is better”. Of course, he also added instantly and between laughs: “But I’m a Real Madrid fan”.
A story of mutual admiration
The admiration that exists between the two high-performance athletes is something that can be observed for many years. This year, both were ternados in the laureus award (the Oscars of sport). It was in this context that the Spanish tennis player asked that the top prize be given to Messi. “It’s an honor to be nominated again, but this year… Come on Leo Messi, you deserve it”, he wrote on his networks.
“That an athlete as great as you makes me, that leaves me speechless… Thank you very much, Rafa Nadal, you also deserve everything for the way you compete every time you go out on the court. You are a winner, we still have a lot of competition therehuh? They all deserve the Laureus this year, really”, Messi thanked Nadal through social networks.
On that occasion, Messi took the prize by leaving behind Kylian Mbappé, Max Verstappen, Mondo Duplantis and Stephen Curry, in addition to Nadal.
Rafa Nada’s farewell, getting closer?
After suffering a Australian Open injury Last January, Rafael Nadal made the decision to make a “full stop” in his amazing career to exhaust in his recovery throughout this year, with the aim of saying goodbye to the professional circuit next year.
Considered one of the greatest exponents on clay courts in the history of tennis, Rafael Nadal has hinted on several occasions that his retirement is getting closer due to the injuries he has faced. “I think I don’t deserve to end up like this”clarified.
“I have worked hard in recent times so that my end is not in a press conference. I’m not going to let myself go early. It is always worth making one more effort and I will fight for it, ”Nadal assured in one of his last press conferences at his Manacor tennis academy.
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