There is no doubt that Michael Phelps is the GOAT of swimming, and probably of all Olympics. The Baltimore Bullet has won 28 Olympic medals, 23 of which are Gold. Therefore, it’s no mean feat when the former American legend praises someone’s swimming skills. That’s what Michael Phelps did to the 37-year-old Rafael Nadal.
After Rafael Nadal posted a video of himself swimming in a pool, it was none other than Michael Phelps who commented underneath.
“Hell yeah!” read Michael Phelps’ comment.
Rafael Nadal had just shared a swimming emoji in the caption alongside the video. Phelps’ comment certainly caught the attention of fans from both worlds of tennis and swimming.
Nadal, who is still recovering from his hip micro tear, seems to be working overtime before his next ATP Tournament. He is likely to participate in the Qatar ExxonMobil Open this month and the Indian Wells next month. Nadal will be participating in the virtue of the ‘Protected Ranking’ systems, something he has utilized before as well.
Rafael Nadal is a tennis legend and there’s no qualms about that. He is also a proficient swimmer as is evident. However, there are many other sports the 37-year-old Spaniard is good at. Here’s a look at 4 of them:
Rafael Nadal hails from a football family
Belonging to Spain, a football-crazy nation, it is no surprise that Rafael Nadal loves the sport. While one of his uncles Tony Nadal has been his coach for the longest time, Nadal’s other uncle Miguel Angel Nadal was a footballer for Spain. Miguel Nadal ended his career with the club Mallorca, but his greatest feat was with FC Barcelona during the ‘Dream Team’ era. Rafael Nadal’s favorite club though, is Real Madrid.
Rafael Nadal has golf as his favorite past-time
Golf happens to be Rafael Nadal’s favorite pastime, as it is with many sportspersons. He played in the professional-level Balearic-level golf Tournament in October 2020 and has a World Amateur Gold Ranking in the process. He also hosted a charity golf tournament in response to the Majorca Flood in 2018. Interestingly enough, Michael Phelps is also a devout and passionate player of golf. After retiring from swimming, all Phelps has played is golf.
Nadal occasionally does some cycling outdoors apart from the gym
Rafael Nadal is the owner of a Mondraker Bike. Although he is nervous about riding a bicycle, he uses an F-Podium DC RR Mondraker. The Mondraker official website suggests that Nadal uses it as a means of distracting himself from the pressures of being a professional tennis player. Nadal’s Mondraker bike is custom-made for him and the Spanish company is proud of this association.
Nadal is an avid badminton fan and player too
Rafael Nadal has also tried his hand at Badminton. He and Serena Williams even played in New York City, in front of the Lotte New York Palace. Both the tennis greats did pretty well in that sport.
