ATP: A showpiece for Rafa Nadal’s museum

Rafael Nadal achieved ten victories in the same tournament in 2017: in Roland Garros, Monte Carlo and Barcelona. From there, there is now a gift for the world number one.

If anyone can cope with this weight, it’s Rafael Nadal: A replica of the ATP World Tour 500 Tournament Cup winner’s trophy, which Rafael Nadal won for the tenth time this year, weighs a whopping 13 kilos. And this replica is now on its way from Barcelona to Mallorca to take a place in the Nadal Tennis Academy Museum.

The connection from Nadal to Barcelona is a very special one – as long as it remains in tennis. The football heart of the current number one in the world beats for the big rival Real Madrid. And this despite the fact that Nadal’s uncle Miguel Angel won the Spanish championship five times with FC Barcelona between 1991 and 1999. On the tennis court, however, it’s all good for Rafael Nadal, who won the 2017 title for the first time on a court named in his honour. Without losing a set, the left-hander defeated Dominic Thiem in the final – in the first of four games on clay within a few weeks.

Nadal’s overall result in Barcelona is impressive: the 31-year-old has won 53 matches, losing only three. Next year Nadal will be on his 14th birthday. It’s time to hit the Catalan capital. Knowing that the winner’s trophy has already found its place at home.

“We are pleased to have the opportunity to bring home a trophy that no one knows better than Rafael Nadal,”said Albert Augusti, president of the Barcelona tennis club. No one appreciated the meaning of this trophy more than Rafael Nadal.