SEGOVIA/STARNBERG, July 27, 2023
Wednesday at the 2023 Open Castilla y Leon – Villa de El Espinar featured a very emotional event: Toni Nadal, who had been Rafael Nadal’s coach for many years, visited the tournament to collect an exact replica of the trophy that Rafa won in 2003. He is one of 10 home grown Spanish champions of the ATP Challenger Tour hard-court event in Segovia.
The player, who would later become a 22-time Grand Slam champion, confessed at the time that the trophy had disappeared. “Nobody knows how,” Toni stated, but Rafa always expressed his interest in having it in his museum in Manacor, Mallorca. Now, finally, he has it.
Forever RAFA 🫶
20 years after @RafaelNadal clinched the Challenger title in Segovia, Toni Nadal receives a replica of the trophy in recognition 🏆 #ATPChallenger | @Tenis_Espinar pic.twitter.com/kkHmcdNKuo
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) July 26, 2023
“Winning the ATP Challenger, which was considered the best in the world, was important for us. It served as good preparation for the US Open. We are very grateful for everyone’s effort in organizing tournaments of this level,” said Toni. Rafael Nadal himself sent a video message in which he emphasized how much he was looking forward to recovering the trophy from “a tournament that gave my career a significant boost.”
Toni Nadal also mentioned that“Rafa is doing well, on vacation, looking forward to getting back on the court in 2024. Hopefully, Alcaraz will let us win something then. He’s excited to return and end his career on the court.”
