Rafael Nadal makes his comeback in golf after French Open exit with a trophy finish in Mallorca event on home soil

Rafael Nadal recently won a golf tournament in his hometown of Mallorca. The Spaniard suffered an early exit from the 2024 French Open after defeat to Alexander Zverev in the first round.

He is an ardent golf fan and has often been spotted golfing in his free time. The Mallorcan played some golf in March 2024 ahead of the much-touted Netflix Slam match against Carlos Alcaraz.

On May 31, he was pictured with golf pro Bubba Waston as they shared a round of golf. Watson took to X to share a picture of them golfing together.

"Beautiful day for some golf. Even better hanging with this legend."

He is an amateur golfer and recently took part in a golf tournament, the 2024 Nations Cup, in his hometown, Mallorca. The Spaniard came out on top as he won the title.

"A special tournament, a different tournament.... Simply the @golfsonservera 2024 Nations Cup . A magical day full of golf honouring the 16 nationalities of our partners! The course in perfect condition made @rafaelnadal win the 2024 title for Spain. A great day of golf in paradise" Nadal's win was captioned.

The Spaniard's love for sports spans from tennis to golf and football. The 22-time Grand Slam champion has often been spotted supporting his favorite team, Real Madrid. As a youngster, he used to play football but chose tennis as his career upon the ultimatum from his mother to choose one of the two.

"Well, my mother said I could not keep doing football, tennis and school. She said, ‘pick two and school has to be one of them,’” he said in a QnA session ahead of the 2022 US Open.

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Rafael Nadal - "I hope to return to this court for the Paris Olympic Games"

Rafael Nadal won a men's doubles gold medal at the 2016 Olympics (with Marc Lopez)

Rafael Nadal crashed out of the 2024 French Open but that may not be the last time that fans get to see the Spaniard on his beloved court, Philippe Chatrier.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion said in his on-court interview that he hoped to return to Paris for the upcoming Olympic Games. He said that he would assess his motivation level as well as physical level before deciding on his future.

"I hope to return to this court for the Paris Olympic Games, that motivates me and I hope to be well prepared. After the Games, I have to see how I am in terms of motivation, physicality and tennis level to see if it makes sense to continue playing," he said.

Rafael Nadal won the singles gold medal at the 2008 Olympics and a doubles gold medal at the 2016 Olympics.