Rafael Nadal's sister Maribel extends her support to rising star Alina Korneeva as she clinches ITF title after comeback from injury
Rafael Nadal's sister Maribel celebrated Alina Korneeva's first ITF title in over a year. The Russian player, who is a member of Nadal's academy in Mallorca, was out injured for months before returning to the court this month.
17-year-old Alina Korneeva is a rising talent on the ITF circuit, having built a reputation through multiple title wins in her junior career. Her breakout season came in 2023, when she captured two junior Grand Slam titles, ultimately being crowned the 2023 ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Finals champions.
The teenager's momentum was disrupted early on in 2024 by an arm injury, sidelining her since February. After more than six months away from competition, Korneeva made her return at the Jasmin Open on the WTA Tour.
Though she fell short of qualifying for the main draw, she impressed in doubles, finishing as runner-up alongside Anastasia Zakharova.
Most recently, she competed at the Caldas da Rainha Open, a W100 event in Portugal, where as an unseeded player, she defeated two seeded opponents en route to clinching the singles title. Korneeva celebrated her triumph by sharing photos of herself lifting the trophy and in action during the event on Instagram.
In the caption of the post, Korneeva thanked Nadal's academy and her team. She wrote:
"That feeling after long time😋🤤😌🏆 Thanks to @rafanadalacademy and my big team✊♥️✊"
Nadal's sister Maribel commented:
"Vamosss! Congrats 👏🏼👏🏼"
Notably, Korneeva even made her Grand Slam debut this year in January. She went through the qualifying stages of the Australian Open and won her first-round match against Sara Sorribes before facing a straight-set defeat against Beatriz Haddad Maia in the second round.
However, her momentum came to an abrupt halt in February when she sustained an arm injury.
Rafael Nadal paid a visit to his academy member and rising tennis star Alina Korneeva after she underwent surgery
In February this year, Alina Korneeva participated in a WTA 125K event in Mumbai, India. She reached the quarterfinal but was forced to give her opponent a walkover. Since then, she was sidelined.
In April, Korneeva took to Instagram to share an image of her arm bandaged and announced that she underwent surgery. She wrote:
"I missed the recent tournaments due to ongoing issues with my wrist since February. After tests revealed tendon instability, consultations with my team and doctors led to the decision for surgery."
In a heartwarming gesture, she received a visit from tennis icon Rafael Nadal while she was in the hospital in Barcelona. The Spaniard got a picture clicked with Korneeva and she uploaded it on Instagram writing that she was grateful for the support.