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Rafael Nadal has returned to his hometown of Mallorca, as he was in the stands for his friend and on-court rival Feliciano Lopez's farewell tournament, the Mallorca Championships.
Earlier this year, Spanish veteran Lopez announced his retirement from the sport after picking up the racquet for over two decades on the tour. He is a four-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist, having reached the last eight at Wimbledon three times and once at the US Open.
Despite announcing his retirement back in January, the 41-year-old said that he would participate in a few tournaments, handpicked by him, in the 2023 season before hanging up his tennis boots.
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“The dream of any tennis player is to be able to say goodbye on a tennis court and that is why I am going to play some tournaments next year to end my career. The idea is to be able to play some of the tournaments that for different reasons have meant something important during the last twenty years," Lopez wrote on his Instagram.
Much to his happiness, Lopez won his first-round match against Max Purcell, 6-3, 7-5, thus getting to play at least one more match before he retires from tennis.
The veteran also had quite a number of compatriots watch him play at his farewell tournament, including all-time tennis great Rafael Nadal and his wife Maria Perello. Carlos Moya and Marc Lopez were also spotted in the stands, cheering for Lopez.
How have Rafael Nadal and Feliciano Lopez fared against each other on the tour?
The Spanish duo of Nadal and Lopez have faced each other 14 times on the tour, with the former comfortably leading the head-to-head by 10-4.
The duo met for the first time in 2003, a clash that was won by Lopez. Following his loss, the former World No. 1 did not even drop a single set against Lopez in the next five matches.
The 2010 US Open was the first Grand Slam where the two Spaniards locked horns with each other. The 22-time Grand Slam winner had the last laugh as he comfortably won the clash in straight sets.
Their second Grand Slam meeting was at the 2012 Australian Open, when they took on each other in the fourth round. Nadal once again prevailed over Lopez, beating him in straight sets.
The duo met for the last time on the tour at the 2020 Paris Open. Playing in the round of 32, the 14-time Roland Garros champion won his 10th match against his compatriot.
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