A hero’s welcome for Rafa Nadal, and a heart-to-heart with Simona Halep – Madrid Open diary

Hero’s welcome for Rafa “Gracias por ser español” or “Thank you for being Spanish” yelled out one of the thousand or so spectators that got to watch Rafael Nadal practice on El Estadio Manolo Santana on Thursday at the Caja Magica. Ad/> Everyone laughed, including Nadal, who was hitting with fellow lefty Federico Delbonis of Argentina.

WTA Madrid'I have the fire back' — Halep reinvigorated after first win under coach Mouratoglou5 HOURS AGO The Spanish 21-time Grand Slam champion was a doubt for the Madrid Open having been sidelined with a rib injury since losing the Indian Wells final nearly six weeks ago. But a late announcement on Twitter on Tuesday saw Nadal confirm his participation, saying he didn’t want the opportunity to compete on home soil to go to waste.

Fans were cheering throughout the practice session, and many looked like they were having an absolute blast as they got to witness their hero up close, feeling reassured with every big serve he hit – a solid indication the rib problem has finally subsided. A five-time champion in Madrid, Nadal takes a stunning 20-1 win-loss record into his Madrid opener, having kicked off his season with a three-title sweep before placing runner-up in the California desert.

How to peak in Paris? Nadal and Swiatek plot different courses to French Open Raducanu making plans to challenge the best after 'tough' split from coach Studious Osaka picking up Nadal tips and praise for superhero Swiatek – Madrid Diary A heart-to-heart with Halep The world has been a strange and often scary place over the past two and a half years and no environment, profession, or industry has remained unaffected. The tennis tour is no exception.