
Mundo Deportiovo, a daily sports newspaper, named Rafael Nadal Spain’s best athlete. Mundo Deportiovo, one of Spain’s leading sports publications, awarded the Mallorcan the prize.
Nadal, ended his much-storied career last year at Spain’s Davis Cup tie against the Netherlands in Malaga. The Spaniard lost his previous official match but ended a career that saw him win 92 career titles. He was one of the integral parts of the “Big Three” in men’s tennis alongside Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic who dominated the sport for almost two decades.
When he retired, Nadal’s influence was felt across sporting disciplines. Tributes poured in from every corner of the world. However, the farewell ceremony for the Spaniard came in for a bit of criticism from fans as not being adequate to bid goodbye to one of the sport’s greatest icons.
Mundo Deportivo has recognized Nadal’s achievements on the court and awarded him one of the highest honors. The publication considers the former World No. 1 the best-ever athlete in Spanish history. At its annual awards ceremony, the publication awarded this honor to Nadal.
Nadal took to social media to convey his thanks and appreciation towards the organization for the award.
“Muchas Gracias @mundodeportivo” posted Nadal on his Instagram story.
Nadal played over 1300 matches in his career, winning an astounding 1080 times, making him one of the sport’s greats.