Watch: Rafael Nadal unleashes monstrous forehand against Casper Ruud during exhibition match in Argentina
Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud's much-awaited South American exhibition tour finally began on Wednesday (November 23), in Argentina's capital city of Buenos Aires.
In their singles match that was attended by over 12,000 people, the Spaniard beat World No. 3 Ruud 7-6(8), 6-2. The two stars played some unbelievable points during the course of the encounter though.
One of the highlights came in the last game, when Nadal was looking to serve out the match. At 5-2, 15-0, the 22-time Grand Slam champion ended a seven-shot rally by hitting a massive forehand down the line, jumping into the air to generate extra force into the shot.
Rafa hits one of his fastest ever forehands. What a shot!🔥 https://t.co/gPPkxfZjk0
The two players were later joined by former Argentina stars Gabriela Sabatini and Gisela Dulko for a one-set doubles match. Nadal won there too, as he and Sabatini defeated Ruud and Dulko 6-4.
The event was also attended by former player David Nalbandian, who retired from professional tennis in 2013. Nadal holds a 5-2 head-to-head record against Nalbandian.
The tour will move forward with matches in Santiago (Chile), Bogota (Colombia), Quito (Ecuador), Belo Horizonte (Brazil), and Mexico City (Mexico).
Rafael Nadal receives deafening response from Argentina crowd during exhibition tour
A few days after the 2022 Laver Cup ended in September, Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud announced that they would participate in an exhibition tour of Latin America and play matches in six South American countries. The tour got off to a dream start as the second and third-ranked players greatly entertained the spectators in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Fans in the stadium couldn't control their excitement when the 22-time Grand Slam champion entered the court on Wednesday, and welcomed him with a deafening roar.
El mejor de todos los tiempos está en Argentina: @RafaelNadal is in da house
Bienvenido campeón https://t.co/5UyneZlFlW
In an interview with Brazilian media outlet ge a few days ago, Nadal had stated that not many opportunities were left for him to play in Latin America, and so he wanted the fans to enjoy these matches.
"I'm very excited to return to Latin America," Nadal said. "I don't know if the Latin American public will have many opportunities to see me in the future, playing professionally. That's why I want to make the most of this chance, playing against a world top like Casper, a good friend. There will be exciting, difficult, and interesting matches for the public who will be able to enjoy the events and keep good memories."