Rafael Nadal thrilled after Mallorca seal La Liga stay with final-day win

Rafael Nadal is ecstatic after his hometown club avoided La Liga relegation on the final day

Rafael Nadal was ecstatic after his hometown football team Real Mallorca confirmed their La Liga status for another year with a 2-0 win over Osasuna on the final day of the season on Sunday.

Angel Rodriguez scored in the 47th minute before Clement Grenier's 83rd-minute strike sealed the deal for Mallorca. The win helped Los Piratas end a point ahead of relegated Granada, who could only draw at home to Espanyol to finish with 38 points.

Nadal, who is set to commence his bid for a record-extending 14th Roland Garros title on Monday, replied with a customary 'Vamos' to Real Mallorca's survival tweet in Catalan.

"Ahir. Avui. Sempre. (Yesterday. Today. Always)," the Spanish club tweeted.

Vamosssssss!!!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 twitter.com/rcd_mallorca/s…

Mallorca, who gained promotion to the Spanish top flight last year, unveiled their away jerseys for the 2021-22 season at Rafael Nadal's academy.

Rafael Nadal has task cut out to land 14th Roland Garros title

Rafael Nadal opens his 2022 Roland Garros campaign on Monday

Rafael Nadal opens his campaign for a record-extending 14th Roland Garros title against Jordan Thompson on Monday. He won his lone match against the Australian in the 2020 Paris Masters. Despite playing only five matches on clay this season, the 35-year-old should have no problems negotiating his first-round opponent.

👀 No.1 @iga_swiatek starts her 2022 #RolandGarros tomorrow, with @RafaelNadal and @BKrejcikova in action as well!

Here's all you need to know ahead of Day 2:

Next up for the Spaniard could be 2015 winner Stan Wawrinka in what would be a rematch of the pair's 2017 title clash, which Nadal won in straight sets. The 13-time champion has won seven of his eight meetings against the Swiss on clay, including twice at Roland Garros.

Fabio Fognini is a possible third-round opponent for Nadal. On paper, it could be a tricky matchup for the Spaniard, as he has lost three of nine meetings against Fognini on clay. However, his superior pedigree on the surface should see him through to the second week.

Nadal could run into the dangerous Felix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth round. The young Canadian needed to recover from two sets down against Juan Pablo Varillas to move into the second round. Nadal won his lone meeting with Auger-Aliassime at Madrid in 2019 and should prevail again should the pair meet in Paris.

This is where things will get really tough for Nadal, as he's slated to face defending champion Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. The Serb is coming off a sixth title in Rome last week.

He beat Nadal in the semis at Roland Garros last year and also in the 2015 quarterfinals. On current form, Djokovic will start as the favourite, but Nadal will fancy his chances against anyone at his favorite Slam.

If the Spaniard emerges unscathed against the World No. 1 in the pair's 10th Roland Garros meeting, he could run into compatriot Carlos Alcaraz. Nadal lost against the teenager in the Madrid quarterfinals two weeks ago. However, beating Nadal in best-of-five sets on clay could be a much tougher proposition for Alcaraz.

If he overcomes the Alcaraz hurdle, Stefanos Tsitsipas or Daniil Medvedev could lie in wait in the final. Tsitsipas made the final last year and is the tour leader with 31 wins this season. Nadal has won three of his four matches with Tsitsipas on clay, while he has never met Medvedev on the red dirt. However, his perfect 13-0 record in Roland Garros finals means Nadal should fancy his chances against either man.