Rafael Nadal in contention to be named ‘The Best in History’

James Richardson 04 Jan 2024 6:02 PM

Rafael Nadal is making a comeback in 2024

Rafael Nadal has been nominated among 50 personalities in contention for ‘The Best in History’ title for a television programme produced by Spanish channel La 1.

The show is a Spanish version of the BBC’s popular ‘100 Greatest Britons’ concept. The format has been reproduced many times over and has over 30 editions in countries such as Germany, the United States, France, and Portugal.

According to the show’s producer, RTVE, the goal is to find the most’relevant and admired’ Spanish figure in history.

The 22-time Grand Slam winner has won five Davis Cups with Spain and two Olympic gold medals as well. He is respected for his contributions to the sport, which include the establishment of the Rafa Academy in his home of Mallorca.

Rafael Nadal has received the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award five times (in 2010, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021), as well as the ATP Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award in 2011.

Nadal recently spoke about life during his 12-month layoff following hip surgery and his love for the sport.

The former World No 1 began by detailing the hardships he encountered post-surgery and the potential of retirement in a short video published by the ATP on social media. He also said that, while the forced leave of absence was unpleasant, it allowed him to spend more time with his family.

However he would add that nothing compared to the rush of being on-court and being competitive.

“I have been very happy outside of tennis, and I think I can be very happy outside of tennis. But this adrenaline, these feelings that you have in any sport, are difficult to find on a daily basis. For me, it’s about accepting the unpredictable. That’s the thing today. All the doubts that are normal after one year without playing a professional match,” Nadal said.

“But I still have this fire inside to be competitive. Let’s see… I mean, I’m trying my best every day to put myself in a competitive position,” the 37-year-old added.

Nadal came into the Brisbane International this week with cautious optimism, wondering how his competitive comeback would pan out.

So far so good has been the answer with Nadal set to face Jordan Thompson in the last eight on Friday.

The Spaniard was delighted to come through his clash with Jason Kubler without any injury worries.

“I think it has been a very positive match for me and I have the chance to play again tomorrow, which means a lot to me,” Nadal said.