WATCH: Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz celebrate Real Madrid's title
ATP
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz swapped tennis for football on Saturday evening as the Spanish duo watched on as Real Madrid won the La Liga title at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Nadal was welcomed onto the Bernabeu pitch before the match to take the honorary kick-off as a special guest. Alcaraz also took to the pitch post-match to pose for photos with some of the title-winning Real Madrid football stars.
Nadal is expected to return from injury at the 2022 Madrid Open in the coming weeks. However, the former world number one appeared to be enjoying the Los Blancos' celebrations. He posted his thanks to the club for being invited to take the honorary kick-off before sending his congratulations to the Real Madrid team.
"Very grateful to Real Madrid for inviting me to take the honorary kick-off at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Quite an honor. Thanks to the Madrid fans for the welcome. Impressive atmosphere. Congratulations to the team for the league title."
Alcaraz, who is also set to feature at the upcoming Madrid Open, watched the match with a colleague from the ATP Tour. After the game, Alcaraz was allowed to take photos with the La Liga trophy and had pictures with some of the Real Madrid squad, including Luka Modric and Vinicius Junior, which the 19-year-old later posted on his Instagram account.
Following a strong start to the 2022 season, an injury saw Nadal miss out on recent tournaments. The Spanish great won titles in Melbourne, Acapulco, and he lifted the Australian Open in January after a five-set victory over Daniil Medvedev.
However, he has not been featured since reaching the Indian Wells final in March. Nadal's younger compatriot Alcaraz has also produced some impressive performances early in 2022.
The 19-year-old has won two titles this season at the Rio de Janeiro Open and Miami Open, while the youngster also heads to Madrid off the back of a 2022 Barcelona Open triumph.
At the 2021 Madrid Open, Nadal and Alcaraz faced off in the second round. Nadal bested his teenage Spanish opponent with a 6-1, 6-2 victory before the veteran lost in the quarter-final to Alexander Zverev.
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