After sitting out of the ATP tour since his defeat to Lloyd Harris at the 2021 Citi Open, Rafael Nadal made a comeback with an exhibition event at the Mubadala World Tennis Championships. Even though it wasn’t a successful comeback for Nadal’s standards, there were positives to take out for the Spaniard.

Just when Nadal was about to move to Australia to play the ‘happy slam’, COVID hit him. The 20-time major champion announced that he tested positive for the virus and his chances of making it to Australia looked a bit grim initially.

However, Nadal was quickly back on his feet and the champion that he is, made his way to the land down under and is all set to play the warm-up event in Melbourne.

Chris Evert lauds Rafael Nadal for his intention to be remembered as a good person

As fierce a player he is on-court, Nadal is also known for his philanthropic activities and mentioned in an interview last year that he would like to be remembered as a good human being.

“I always say that I would like to be remembered as a good person, good people, much more than a champion or anything else. Because, in the end, the victories, the titles, are moments of happiness, of euphoria, of adrenaline, of success, but all that is temporary and I have always been very clear about that” 

Pointing out this aspect, legendary American tennis star Chris Evert lauded the Spaniard and tweeted that Nadal will always be remembered as an exceptional human being.

“No doubt you will be known as an exceptional human being…”

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During the pandemic, Nadal teamed up with NBA star Paul Gasol to generate funds and help those in need. Not just this, the Spaniard has been actively contributing to the society ever since rising to fame.

Coming to tennis, the 20-time Grand Slam champion is one of the top players to look forward to at this year’s Australian Open as he intends to challenge youngsters as well as Novak Djokovic(if he plays). However, Nadal’s fitness will be an issue of concern as it might take time for him to play at the highest level.

Also read: WATCH: Novak Djokovic Teaches On-Court Values to Son Stefan and His Friend