WATCH: Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud play footsie on airport as the World Cup fever catches them

WATCH: Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud play footsie on airport as the World Cup fever catches them

Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud playing football at the airport

Tennis icon Rafael Nadal is having a lot of fun nowadays. He ended the ATP tour 2022 with 4 ATP singles titles this year. He won his career’s 21st and 22nd Grand Slam singles title this year.

He is in South America playing exhibition matches, trying to keep himself fit and ready for the 2023 season starting with the Australian Open. Casper Ruud has also joined him and both the gentlemen are traveling and playing, enjoying their time together.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPivXOq3Usc

Meanwhile, the 36-year-old has shared a video on social media playing football at the airport in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Along with his team members, the Norwegian is also seen playing with him.

FS Video

“Pre check-in at the airport in Belo Horizonte. Football World Cup mood. Thank you, Brazil for everything!” his caption in English read. (Translated through Google Translate).

Rafael Nadal must have celebrated Spain’s thumping 7-0 victory in their previous encounter against Costa Rica in the Group E match of the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar. Spain will play against Germany in the earlier hours of tomorrow.

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Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud- Teacher and Student

Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud with their trophies at the 2022 French Open
Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud with their trophies at the 2022 French Open

Casper Ruud has always admired Rafael Nadal. He is a devout fan of the Spanish legend. He is often seen training at the Rafael Nadal Academy located in Mallorca, Spain under Toni Nadal (uncle of Rafael Nadal).

It must have been a proud moment for him to play against the Spaniard in the 2022 French Open final. He lost the match 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 but must have learned many new tricks and skills from the 22-time Grand Slam champion.

He used his newly learned techniques very well on the court to win three ATP singles titles this year. He also played the Championship matches of both the US Open and the ATP Finals tournaments this year and ended the season as World No.3 in the ATP rankings.

The 2022 French Open finalist is a talented player. He just needs to polish his skills so that he can win matches on important occasions. He is just 23 years old and hence, has many more years of tennis with him. If he can learn the art of winning matches from even precarious situations, like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal can do time and again, he will surely win many Grand Slam tournaments.

Both the Spaniard and the Norwegian are looking to gain some match experience and playing time to reach peak fitness levels for the next season. It will be interesting to see how both athletes play throughout the 2023 season.

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