Rafael Nadal sends his wishes to the wrecked town of Acapulco in a message of strength as the Mexican city gets hit by Hurricane Otis

Rafael Nadal has won the Acapulco Open thrice.

Rafael Nadal sends his wishes to the wrecked town of Acapulco in a message of strength as the Mexican city gets hit by Hurricane Otis

Rafael Nadal, A scene from Acapulco (Sources: Tennis Buzz, Reuters)

Mexico’s beach resort city of Acapulco has been hit by Hurricane Otis, leading to a category 5 storm. The city is in ruins as the hurricane has caused widespread destruction all over, already leading to the deaths of as many as 27 people.

The storm brought winds that were as fast as 165 miles per hour, which led to roads being blocked and all communication being shut off. The people of Acapulco are in a terrible situation, and the government is trying all they can to ease things. 

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Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal has always been very fond of the city of Acapulco. He has won the Acapulco Open three times and has good memories of the city. Thus, he was deeply saddened to see the current state that Acapulco is in. He posted some videos showing the current situation at Acapulco on his Instagram account. 

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Sad to see the footage of the destruction from Hurricane Otis in the place I played so many times. Cheer up and strength
Rafael Nadal wrote on Instagram

Rafael Nadal’s quote ahead of his 2020 Acapulco Open campaign shows how much he loves the city. He said back then: 

It`s a very tough tournament. It`s one of the best tournaments of the world, one of the most beautiful tournaments of the world. That attracts the best players, so it`s always a very tough draw here. But that`s nice and that`s very positive for the tournament.

At the time of writing, the Mexican government is trying to vacate the city of Acapulco. The city is home to roughly 780,000 people. As the airports have been closed, people are trying to leave the city through the roads, but that too is a difficult task. 

Rafael Nadal’s possible comeback to the court 

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal (Source: Sports Illustrated)

Rafael Nadal injured his left hip flexor during the 2023 Australian Open and has been away from the court since then. His arthroscopic surgery was a success. However, while it was earlier estimated that he could take a few months to recover, Nadal has now been off the court for almost the entirety of the season. Thankfully, the Spaniard is finally on the verge of a return. 

The legend was considering retiring after the 2024 season. However, he somehow seems to have changed his mind lately, and he has now revealed that the 2024 season might not be his last. The Spaniard will return for the 2024 Australian Open. 

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