Rafael Nadal and Fabio Fognini have been arch-rivals on the court. The on-court rivalry between the two started in 2013. Going ahead with time, the two, till date, have faced each other 17 times. Even though the two are on-court rivals, there is a special connection between the two. Flavia Pennetta, Fognini’s wife, is a friend of Rafael Nadal. A friendship that Flavia claims to be a very close one for a long time.

Flavia Pennetta is a former Italian tennis player. The 40-year-old reached a career-high ranking of 6 in the world. She also won the 2015 US Open. On the doubles front, Flavia became the World No. 1, winning the Australian Open and the WTA Finals.

Diving into the friendship of Flavia and Nadal

Recently, a video of Nadal after his practice session surfaced on social media. The video looked like any other video as it started with Nadal giving autographs to his fans as he walked back after his practice session. However, mid-way into the video, Nadal stopped by a lady, giving her a hug and a high 5 to her son. Having a careful look, the lady was none other than Flavia Pennetta.

The two reportedly have been friends for a very long time. The two were always in the same orbit as Flavia, dated Nadal’s long-time friend and now the coach, Carlos Moya, for three years. Reportedly, Nadal came in as an enormous support to Flavia following her breakup with Moya in 2007.

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Going ahead with time, Fabio Fognini, who was also Nadal’s friend, stepped into the story. Trying his luck on Pennetta, the two finally started dating each other in 2014, following a marriage in 2016. The two had a son together, Federico, in 2017.

Even though Pennetta is married to Fognini, she remains to be a good friend of Nadal. In several interviews, Pennetta has asserted that she and Nadal have been close friends since their childhoods.

Rafael Nadal on the red-surface

Following a rib injury after his Indian Wells campaign, Nadal was forced to be out of the court for more than a month. The injury made Nadal not only miss the Miami Open but also face a delay in the start of his clay-court season. Giving a miss to Barcelona and Monte Carlo, Nadal finally kicked off his clay-court campaign in Madrid.

Kicking off the tournament on a positive note, the two cruised through the initial rounds. In the quarterfinals, he faced the most promising player on the tour currently, Carlos Alcaraz. Indulging in a 3-set battle, Nadal was outplayed by Alcaraz.

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He is currently in Rome, looking to defend his title and eye his 11th title in the Italian capital.