Rafael Nadal congratulates NFL star Tom Brady on his team's victory in 2024 UIM E1 World Championships, celebrates Team Rafa’s third-place finish

Rafael Nadal congratulated his electric boat racing team, Team Rafa, for securing third place in the first-ever race of the 2024 UIM E1 World Championships in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Nadal also praised NFL star Tom Brady’s team, Team Brady, for clinching the first place.

The UIM E1 World Championship stands as the first global series featuring all-electric race boats, officially sanctioned by the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) — the authoritative body overseeing powerboating.

The event features eight teams owned by celebrities and athletes from different sports, including soccer star Didier Drogba, Formula 1 driver Sergio Perez, and Cricket star Virat Kohli. It was created to showcase the capabilities of electric technologies in marine mobility and to advocate for sustainability and environmental consciousness.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion joined the series as the owner of Team Rafa in January 2023. The team, composed of pilots Cris Lazarrage and Tom Chiappe, received 14 points — just three points fewer than Team Miami, owned by singer Marc Anthony, who took second place. Team Brady, with pilots Emma Kimilainen and Sam Coleman, claimed victory with 20 points.

The Spaniard took to Instagram to share his pride and joy for his team’s achievement, as well as his admiration for Brady’s team.

"Well done guys. Third place and more motivation for the next one 💪🏻🙌🏻. Congrats @e1teambrady for the win… the season is long and they’ll work hard to… you know what @tombrady," the 37-year-old wrote.

The E1 series will continue with six more races in different locations around the world, including Venice, Monaco, and Hong Kong, where the finale will take place in November this year.

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Rafael Nadal back on court as he prepares for Qatar return following 2024 Australian Open withdrawal

The Spaniard at the 2024 Brisbane International

Rafael Nadal has returned to practice following his absence from the 2024 Australian Open, where had to withdraw due to an injury he suffered in his quarterfinal match against Jordan Thompson at the Brisbane International.

Nadal is now slated to compete at the 2024 Qatar ExxonMobil Open, which takes place from February 19-24 in Doha. The Spaniard will be making his first appearance in the tournament since 2016. He reached the quarterfinals and beyond in seven of his eight appearances.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion won his first and only singles title in Doha in 2014 by defeating Gael Monfils in the finals in a three-set thriller. Additionally, he won four doubles titles with different partners in 2005, 2009, 2011, and 2015.

On January 31, the Spaniard shared a photo on his Instagram account, of him practicing at the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy.

“After a period of not putting anything on here, here we are. Back to the training sessions... with more intensity,” the 37-year-old wrote.