Watch: Rafael Nadal takes on former F1 world champion Nico Rosberg in a table tennis game
Rafael Nadal hosted Nico Rosberg on his yacht during the Monaco Yacht Show presented by Sunreef Yachts earlier this week. Images of the pair together have flooded social media over the last few days, much to the amusement of their fans.
Now, Rosberg has taken to Twitter to post a video of the pair playing a game of table tennis or ping pong on the yacht. Both Nadal and Rosberg brought out their competitive side in the five-point match, which was won by the 20-time Grand Slam champion.
Rosberg made particularly dramatic gestures during the contest, especially after losing match point, which can be seen in the video below:
Ping Pong against @RafaelNadal on his @SunreefYachts 🏓 Who's next? 😁 Definitely no lack of emotions there...no chance to hide my competitiveness 😁 It was a tight game!! Let’s play again soon, Rafa 💯 https://t.co/12qLc6wGDg
"Definitely no lack of emotions there...no chance to hide my competitiveness," Rosberg wrote. "It was a tight game!! Let’s play again soon, Rafa."
Boating is one of Rafael Nadal's biggest off-court interests, one that he shares with Nico Rosberg. When the two met at the boat show, Nadal took the 2016 Formula One world champion aboard his Sunreef 80 Power Catamaran Great White yacht and gave him a tour of the interiors.
During the course of the show, Nadal also ran into Prince Albert II of Monaco.
Rafael Nadal focused on recovery for 2022
Rafael Nadal is currently taking some time away from tennis to heal his foot injury. The 35-year-old aggravated the chronic problem during his Roland Garros semifinal match against Novak Djokovic, following which he was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics.
The Spaniard attempted to return to the tour in America, where he was scheduled to play the full summer hardcourt series. However, after a pain-ridden run in Washington, he withdrew from the rest of the season.
Rafael Nadal is now in recovery mode, and he is looking to return to the tour at the Australian Open next year. But the Spaniard has had little to show for outside clay since the COVID-19 pandemic struck, so the expectations from the early part of his 2022 season wouldn't be too high.
Nadal's last hardcourt title came at Acapulco back in February 2020, and his last harcourt Slam was won at the 2019 US Open. At 20 Major titles, he is currently tied with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer at the top of the all-time Slam leaderboard.
Rafael Nadal has issued a few updates regarding his physical state, claiming he is focused on returning to winning ways despite the serious injury. His former coach and uncle Toni also stated recently that he is "convinced" everything will be fine with his nephew by next year.
At his best, Nadal is a threat on every surface, and he seems to have enough in the tank to win more Majors and break the all-time record. But it remains to be seen when, or if, he can return to his best physically.