Multiple grand slam champion Rafael Nadal was unsurprisingly upbeat over how his wedding day went in Mallorca on Saturday.
The world No.2 married his long-time partner, Xisca Perello, in a lavish ceremony held at the La Fortaleza in the town of Pollença. Attendees ranged from members of Nadal’s coaching team to the former king of Spain, Juan Carlos. The couple had wanted to keep their special day out of the public eye and gave away little detail. Those working at the wedding were reportedly asked to sign a confidentiality agreement and even a no fly zone was implemented.
Nadal has shed light on his wedding day for the first time on Thursday when asked during a press conference in Kazakhstan. Where he played an exhibition match against world No.1 Novak Djokovic. The duo also held a training session with children and opened a new sports facility in the Kazakh capital of Nur-Sultan.
“We really enjoyed this beautiful day,” Nadal replied when asked by news agency EFE.
“We had a lot of fun and enjoyed ourselves with the people we wanted to be there, and that’s why we had a great day.”
“It was something we had been preparing for a long time, but it has already happened and now is the time to return for the end of the tennis season and it is good to return for a charity event,” he added.
On the court, the King of clay got the best of Djokovic during what was a tightly contested match. He managed to edge the Serbian out in a deciding tiebreaker to win 6-3, 3-6, 11-9. Following their match Nursultan Nazarbayev, who is the First President of Kazakhstan, paid tribute to the duo.
“Kazakhs are very happy to see the greatest tennis players of the planet. I always watch your games. You have achieved great results in sports.” inform.kz quoted Nazarbayev as saying.
Nadal’s rivalry with Djokovic is one of the most prestigious in the Open Era with the two meeting 54 times on the ATP Tour. At present, it is Djokovic who leads the head-to-head 28-26, however Nadal won their most recent clash at the Italian Open.
“We have had this wonderful rivalry during our careers, which still continues, but our relationship and the respect we have for each other on and off the court allows us to play charity games and support each other’s foundations.” Said Djokovic.
The decision to play a charity match this week instead of an ATP event doesn’t come without its consequences. On November 4th Nadal is set to return back to the top of the ATP rankings as he aims to finish the season as world No.1. Something he has done on four previous occasions with the most recent being in 2017.
The next scheduled tournament for both players will be the Paris Masters later this month.
