Golf fan Rafael Nadal congratulates Angel Hidalgo on his maiden DP Tour title at Spanish Open
Avid golfer Rafael Nadal congratulated fellow Spaniard Angel Hidalgo for clinching his maiden DP World Tour title on home soil.
Rafael Nadal, Angel Hidalgo (Images via Imago, Wave Zero)
Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal knows how it feels to land your maiden title at home while taking on a big and established name. Thus he connected well with Angel Hidalgo who won his first DP World Tour title on Monday (September 30). Nadal extended his wishes to Hidalgo and hailed the Spanish trio of the champion, John Rahm, and David Puig.
After Hidalgo held off a storming comeback from compatriot Rahm to win the Spanish Open in Madrid, claiming his maiden title in a playoff, Nadal shared a post on social media congratulating the 26-year-old on his achievement. He also called the Spanish trio spectacular.
Congratulations champion…and what a trio! Spectacular
Rafael Nadal posted on Instagram
It is worth mentioning that Nadal is himself an ardent golfer. He does not just play it as a hobby but takes it very seriously. The 22-time Grand Slam champion has participated in the Balearic Mid-Amateur Golf Championship thrice in the past four years.
This year, Nadal proved he was the best golfer on the course by scoring 147 over two rounds, shooting just three over par. He beat the second-place player, Jaime Nicolau Olmos, by seven shots to win the men’s title.
Rafael Nadal’s love for golf due to less chances of injuries
Rafael Nadal‘s tennis career might be one of the best but it is also deemed one of the toughest as the Spaniard has regularly dealt with injuries. Even in his final years, Nadal is unable to finish things on his terms as his body continues to let him down.
This injury-marred career made Nadal look for sports that are not so physically demanding and he found golf as the perfect solution. The 38-year-old began developing his golf game while also giving his best to tennis. In 2012, the former World No.1 had said that he liked golf because there was less chance of injuries.
I love the game of golf in general. I was watching all the afternoon the last round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Golf is great, because you are always in beautiful places when you are playing, and the risk for injury, as you know, is very small.
Rafael Nadal said (via tennisnow)
With his tennis career almost done and dusted, Nadal looks set to make golf his forte after retirement. For now, the Spaniard is set to return to action for the Six Kings Slam, an exhibition event in Riyadh that will also feature Novak Djokovic, Holger Rune, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Daniil Medvedev.
Ritesh Pathak
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