Nadal Visits Mallorca Championships As A Fan

Mallorca Championships

Fans at the Mallorca Championships received a special surprise on Tuesday. Rafael Nadal was sitting front row for close friend Feliciano Lopez's first-round win against Australian Max Purcell.

Nadal is one of the most famous residents of Mallorca. He was joined by his wife, Maria Francisca Perello, Carlos Moya, Marc Lopez, Bartolome Salva-Vidal and others to watch Lopez compete in his final ATP Tour event.

Hey there, @RafaelNadal 👋@MallorcaChamps | #MallorcaChampionships pic.twitter.com/QHSgwllfje

— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 27, 2023

The tournament director of the Mallorca Championships is Toni Nadal, Rafa's uncle and former coach. Nadal and Lopez's first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting came in 2003 in Basel, where Lopez triumphed in a final-set tie-break. Nadal won their series 10-4. 

"I was lucky that Rafa [Nadal], Marc [López] and many tennis friends came today," Lopez said. "Some of them couldn't be here today, but they were there on Saturday [at Lopez's tennis party] and I felt very supported.

"It's been many years of [my] career and I feel that beyond winning a tournament or a good result or [a] not-so-good [result], I have left a good legacy in terms of friends. I feel loved and appreciated by my teammates and that is what I was always looking for."

The good friends also played doubles together several times over the years, with their best result coming in 2005 at Barcelona, where they reached the final. Nadal is currently recovering after undergoing surgery earlier this month.