"This man deserves all good things, a gentleman in every sense of the word, an example to follow" - Colombian singer Maluma on Rafael Nadal
After his Calendar Slam dream ended with an abdominal injury at Wimbledon, Rafael Nadal decided to take a break from the sport and chill with family and friends.
Fans were relieved to see the 36-year-old relaxing and enjoying himself at Colombian singer and songwriter Maluma's concert in Ibiza, a Balearic island in Spain. With a drink in his hand, Rafael Nadal was seen zestfully grooving to the song “Siente el boom”, performed by Randy and Tito el Bambino on Wednesday.
DANCEDAL! https://t.co/0P4zUmaw7P
The Spaniard met and spent some time with Maluma backstage after the concert and posted a few photographs on his social media, thanking the popstar.
"Great night with friends! @maluma total crack! A thousand thanks for everything," Nadal wrote.
Maluma even posted one of their photographs on his social media, praising Nadal and stressing the importance of sports in his own life.
"My admiration for athletes is on another level. I played soccer for many years and the amount of sacrifice is absurd. So much so, that I apply it in my life and especially in my career, and I am what I am thanks to this. This man (Nadal) deserves all good things. A gentleman in every sense of the word, an example to follow," Maluma wrote.
Earlier in the week, the Mallorcan posted another photo of himself unwinding by the seaside, basking in the beauty of a stunning sunset. A few photographs have also emerged where he can be seen riding a jet ski with his friends.
Rafael Nadal has a 7 mm abdominal muscle tear
With a win-loss record of 19-0 at this year's Grand Slam tournaments, Rafael Nadal was just two matches away from clinching his third Major title of the year when an unfortunate injury ruled him out of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships.
Seen with athletic tape on his abdominal area since the tournament began, the Spaniard was asked about it after his fourth-round win against Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands. However, Nadal refused to answer, saying that he didn't want to talk about the injury during the tournament.
Nadal's abs tape.
[getty] https://t.co/wFkzUAxdtD
The injury worsened when he stepped on to Centre Court for his quarterfinal clash against America's Taylor Fritz. In the second set, Nadal asked for a medical timeout to get some treatment. At this point, his father was seen signaling at him in anger, suggesting he retire from the match. The 22-time Grand Slam champion didn't heed the call and continued playing through the injury.
Nadal was forced to change his style of play as his movement was restricted and serve speed dropped from 120 mph to 100 mph. After four hours and 20 minutes and five nail-biting sets, the World No. 3 beat the 13th-ranked Fritz 3-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(4) to book a spot in the semifinals, where Australia's Nick Kyrgios was already waiting.
Nadal even practiced the following day before his test reports came in. They revealed that he had a seven millimeter tear in the abdomen. By the end of the day, the Spaniard had called for a press conference and announced his decision to withdraw from the grass-court Major. As a result, Kyrgios received a walkover and became the first finalist at this year's Wimbledon, where he eventually lost to Novak Djokovic.