In Pictures: Rafael Nadal hosts awards night at his academy before jetting off to Brisbane; sister Maribel makes an appearance in all black

Rafael Nadal recently hosted an awards night at his academy as a part of the 2023 Christmas festivities.

Nadal launched his tennis academy in his hometown, Manacor, in 2016. Since the inauguration, several athletes have trained at the center and gone on to become top players in the sport. Former World No. 2 Casper Ruud and former World No. 6 Felix Auger-Aliassime are two such examples.

Also located within the premises is the International School, which has graduated up-and-coming players such as Jordan’s breakout star Abdullah Shelbayh and 2022 US Open boys’ and girls’ champions Martin Landaluce and Alexandra Eala, respectively.

The Spaniard’s academy has often served as the base for top-ranked players during the off season, too. Just this month, ahead of his competitive return, Rafael Nadal was spotted practicing with his long-term rival Richard Gasquet on the academy courts. World No. 69 Emiil Ruusuvuori and World No. 25 Jan-Lennard Struff were two other players who trained with Nadal.

To celebrate his academy’s achievements and recognize his staff members’ efforts, Nadal hosted an awards night over Christmas. Pictures from the event were shared on social media, in which the employees were captured having a jolly good time.

Alongside the 22-time Grand Slam champion, his sister Maribel, who works in the marketing and sales department, also made an appearance. Dressed in all black, the 34-year-old posed with her colleagues for pictures.

"We hope your Christmas dinner was as good as ours! VAMOS‼️" the official post read.

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"If Rafael Nadal keeps playing and winning, Novak Djokovic will keep playing" – Andrey Rublev

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic previously locked horns at the 2022 French Open

After a year-long injury layoff, Rafael Nadal will make a comeback at the 2024 Brisbane International (December 31- January 7). As per recent reports, he has already left for Australian shores. Following his run at the ATP 250, the Spaniard will head to Melbourne for the Australian Open. He has entered the tournament through a protected ranking.

Nadal, who previously hinted that he might retire in 2024, recently said he isn’t expecting a glorious return but that he wishes to enjoy himself on the court.

The 37-year-old is no stranger to miraculous comebacks, though. In 2022, after spending several months on the sidelines due to a foot injury, he made a winning return, clinching four titles, including two Grand Slams – the Australian Open and the French Open. The wins made him the men’s Grand Slam leader at the time, but his arch-rival Novak Djokovic eventually surpassed him.

In that regard, the duo’s colleague, Andrey Rublev, recently shared his thoughts on how the 22-time Grand Slam champion’s competitive comeback would likely pan out. Rublev hinted that Nadal's success is intertwined with that of Djokovic.

“While Novak is still playing I think Rafa will try until the end to play and try to win Slams,” Rublev said, as quoted by The National.

“And the same goes for Novak. If Rafael Nadal keeps playing and winning when he comes back, Novak Djokovic will keep playing until the end,” he added.