Rafael Nadal's new statue to also feature his younger self, Spaniard gives his nod

Rafael Nadal has approved a sketch of his upcoming statue, which will soon be installed at the Placa del Palau (Palace Square) in his hometown of Manacor.

The Spaniard has dominated the French Open like no other tennis player in any other tournament in the history of tennis. He has won a staggering 14 titles in Paris. Out of the 115 matches he has contested at the French Open since 2005, the 36-year-old has won 112 while losing only three, with an astounding win percentage of 97%.

After he defeated Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 in last year's Roland Garros final, the Manacor City Council announced a statue honoring the most successful athlete from Spain. The mayor of Manacor, Miquel Oliver, recently met with the 22-time Grand Slam champion to discuss the idea for his sculpture.

Although yet to be made public, reports suggest that Nadal's bronze statue is likely to depict him sitting during a break in a match, only this time, it will be a low wall surrounding an olive tree. Next to him will be shown the player's younger version, as the two will be looking at his family home.

To add to that, two water bottles are expected to be placed in perfect position near his feet, just the way the former World No. 1 has been placing them on the courts for years. Finally, the set will be decorated with words that can be linked to the Mallorcan's character, like 'effort', 'perseverance', and 'strength'.

Roland Garros honored Nadal with a three-meter-tall steel sculpture of him hitting a forehand in 2021.

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Rafael Nadal steps up practice on clay amidst injury setback

Rafael Nadal practices ahead of the clay season

Rafael Nadal has had a disappointing run since winning the 2022 French Open. A number of injuries have kept him away from glory. During his second-round loss against Mackenzie McDonald at the 2023 Australian Open in January, he picked up a severe hip injury. The Spaniard has been forced to withdraw from tournaments like the BNP Paribas Open and the Miami Open.

He is set to leave the ATP top 10 rankings for the first time since April 25, 2005, later this month. The World No. 9 is gearing up for a comeback during the clay season. Although still recovering from his hip injury, he has started training on his favorite surface. In a recent video shared by him on social media, the 36-year-old can be seen hitting powerful groundstrokes.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion has a dismal win-loss record of 1-3 so far this season.