News about Rafael Nadal

The three-time Grand Slam winner has effectively confirmed this will be his last year on tour, having battled through a hip issues in the latter stage of his career. After suffering an agonising defeat by Tomas Machac at the Miami Open, Murray admitted that he was 'looking forward to the end'. The defeat came with the additional blow of an ankle injury that has kept him sidelined for the start of the clay season.

The 14-time champion returned to action in Barcelona earlier this month after suffering another hip issue at his comeback tournament in January following a year out. He exited the competition in the second round but has bounced back at the Madrid Open, where he avenged his defeat by Alex De Minaur in Catalonia with a straight-sets win on Saturday. But in spite of his positivity after coming through the physical test, the 37-year-old refused to confirm whether he'll make what is expected to be his last appearance at the French Open next month.

Rafael Nadal said it would be exciting to partner fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz at the Paris Olympics this year and the 22-times singles Grand Slam champion hoped they can enter some doubles tournaments in the build-up to the Games. Singles world number three Alcaraz said previously he would like to play at the Olympics alongside his 37-year-old idol, who expects to bring the curtains down on his glittering but injury-plagued career this year. At the Madrid Open where the duo are competing this week, the 20-year-old admitted to being somewhat nervous about initiating the discussion but Nadal put him at ease.

Rafael Nadal cruised past 16-year-old American Darwin Blanch in straight sets to reach the Madrid Open second round on Thursday. The Spaniard, 37, had already won three French Opens before world No 1,034 Blanch was born and schooled his younger opponent in just 64 minutes with a 6-1, 6-0 victory.  The match set a record for the largest age gap between two players at a Masters 1,000-level event. 

Rafael Nadal has said on several occasions this is set to be his final season on tour, but so far it has not panned out the way the Spaniard would have hoped. The 14-time champion returned to action in Barcelona last week but could miss out on the French open amid more injury issues.

A young American tennis prodigy is set to face 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal at his home tournament in Madrid, after being gifted a wildcard entry to the event. Blanch, 16, is currently number 1,028 in the world rankings, but must feel like he has won the lottery after being picked out alongside Nadal for the first round of the clay tournament. The teenager took to Snapchat in complete shock at the news on Monday, posting a picture of himself covering his face, alongside the caption: 'Guys I play Nadal wtf'

The 22-time Grand Slam winner received a standing ovation at the Barcelona Open as he walked off the court that was named in his honour for what could be the last time. De Minaur came up with a perfectly executed game plan to take advantage of Nadal's lack of match fitness as he comes back from injury.

After intimated that this will be his final year before retirement, Nadal's defeat was likely to mark his final appearance at a tournament he has won 12 times. Having overcome Italian Flavio Cobolli in the opening round, Nadal faced a much sterner test against the in-form De Minaur and was sent scampering around the court in a tight opening set which was edged by the Australian. De Minaur went on to step up a gear, securing a double break over the Spaniard and racing over the line behind a strong service game on which he did not drop a single point in the second set.

Rafael Nadal made a triumphant return to the match court with victory over Flavio Cobolli in the first round of the Barcelona Open. The 37-year-old was playing just his second tournament in 15 months after suffering another injury problem in his hip muscle at his comeback event in Brisbane in January. Nadal only committed to playing at the tournament he has won 12 times on Monday but there was not much rust on display as he eased to a 6-2 6-3 victory over 21-year-old Italian Cobolli in his first match on clay since he won his 14th French Open title in 2022.

The Women's Tennis Association has reported a contentious decision to bring their crown-jewel tournament to Saudi Arabia, with a historic prize fund of £12 million a year. For the next three years, the kingdom will host the WTA Tour Finals, which will feature the season's best eight singles players and doubles teams. The move has long been anticipated and the WTA was close to hosting the event last year in Saudi Arabia before a late transfer to Cancun in Mexico. That throwing-together incident in Riyadh in November was an unintended tragedy, and there should be no repeat of it.

Michael Norton, a 48-year-old psychology professor at Harvard, has spent the past decade studying rituals. What exactly are they?Why do humans perform them?And are they any good for us? The Ritual Effect: The Transformative Strength of Our Everyday Activities, Philip Leib's £20 book, will be published next month.

As Murray prepares for the day when he'll be able to restrain his racquet for good, a new question remains about what he'll do with his retirement. Murray has been quietly developing a company portfolio that is as diverse as it is eye-opening. Murray Inc is licensed to trade, from energy drinks to clothing, assisting a new product, to a fragrance and diffuser line.

Netflix has extended its reach into the sporting market by announcing that the boxing exhibition between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson will be broadcast this summer. Paul, the YouTube sensation making a name for himself in professional boxing, revealed on Thursday that he would face heavyweight legend Tyson in a controversial exhibition on July 20, which will see him face a man 30 years his senior. After putting on a slew of events in recent months, Iron' Mike's meeting is likely to be broadcast on Netflix. Lately, the streaming giants have televised tennis and golf showpieces of late, as well as a $5 billion broadcasting contract with WWE.

Emma Raducanu: Emma Raducanu insists she is uninterested in her position. But for those of us who are not, her first-round victory at Indian Wells was incredibly important. On Thursday night, the 21-year-old defeated Spain's Rebeka Masarova 6-3, 6-3, as she starts to defend the ranking points she earned last year with a run to the fourth round. Had she lost this tie she would have fallen from 250th to 338, which she held when she exploded into the nation's consciousness with a last-16 run at Wimbledon in 2021.

Rafael Nadal says he's taken the "tough" decision to leave Indian Wells because he isn't yet 'at the point' to play at the highest level. Since suffering a muscle injury in Brisbane in January, the 22-time Grand Slam singles champion has been off the tour. On Friday, he would return to the BNP Paribas Open for the first time against Canada's Milos Raonic.

Joanne Lefson, 52, announced the death of her beloved eight-year-old pig who had been suffering from chronic Rheumatoid arthritis at her home in South Africa. Images depict the animal painting on a canvas at the sanctuary and even on the beach. Pigcasso's artwork has been sold around the world by artists including Ed Westwick and Rafael Nadal, as well as animal specialist Dr Jane Goodall. We're sad that such an inspiring figure for welfare animals has passed away, but we also commemorate a life well lived and the profound difference she made.'

After a tumultuous three-set victory over top seed and world No.6 Alexander Zverev in a semi-final lasting three hours 42 minutes, the Sydneysider was playing his third tour-level final. In the quarter-finals, he spent more than 12 hours on court during his five matches in the Mexico tournament, going from 0-6 0-3 and saving three match points to oust American Alex Michelson 0-6 (7-7) 7-5.

At the forthcoming Netflix Slam competition in Las Vegas, paying punters will now pay for private lessons with Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz. The reigning Wimbledon champions Alcaraz and the 22-time Grand Slam men's singles champion Nadal will face each other in a one-of-a-kind exhibition match at the Michelob ULTRA Arena. Tickets for the event are available, and people with deeper pockets can book a private session to hear from two of the world's best players.

Both the Spaniard and Serb have helped define tennis in the 21st century by winning 22 and 24 Grand Slam titles respectively. Comparing different styles and periods is always difficult, but Nadal is delighted to praise Djokovic as the best there has ever been.

During its annual Australian Open debrief, Tennis Australia is contemplating the introduction of a landmark women's final on Sunday night, with all manner of formatting tweaks on the table. Although the dramatic change is unlikely to take place in 2025, flipping the men's and women's finals is seen as a win-win for fans, not necessarily those watching on television.

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal headline a high-profile field for a new tennis tournament in Saudi Arabia in October. The 6 Kings Slam will also feature former Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz, former Australian Open winner Daniil Medvedev, and young Danish star Holger Rune. "I am extremely excited to play in Riyadh for the first time since some other tennis players have done so," Nadal, who was recently appointed ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation, said.

After both of Team AD/vantage's male and women's sides were declared champions at the tournament on Sunday, Andy Murray's padel team had a fruitful day on court at the Hexagon Cup finals on Sunday. With Robert Lewandowski's team, RL9, also winning in the Next Gen category, the finals and semi-finals were broadcast live on ITV. David Gala and Enzo Jensen defeated Eleven Eleven's Alex Chozas and Emilio Chamero, 6-3 1-6 10-7, winning a cash cheque of €8,750 (£7,500) after. Eva Longoria, a well-known actress, has also invested Eleven Eleven.

In a showdown befitting the start of a new era, Jannik Sinner battled back from two sets down to defeat Daniil Medvedev on Sunday, becoming a Grand Slam champion at the age of 22. The Australian Open men's final has not been held since 2005 without at least one of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, or Rafael Nadal. Since Stan Wawrinka's 2014 triumph, no one other than those Melbourne Park monopolizers had won. That is until yesterday. 283 points had been played at the end of this epic match. Medvedev defeated 141 people. Sinner triumphed 142, the last of which was a spectacular forehand champion down the line, making him the first Italian man to win a Grand Slam singles title since Adriano Panatta 48 years ago.

With a come-from-behind five-set victory over Daniil Medvedev, the actor wowed many followers - and he left them a letter. However, after he left center court, he gave viewers a glimpse into the not-sowelcome effect his work had on his family's lives.