Rafael Nadal has been one of the highlights of Madrid Open. This year marked his return to tennis courts and it’s been an up and down affair. Still, his performance in Madrid has been positive, winning his past three games, and receiving the love and support of the local crowd, including King Felipe, who stopped by to check out his most recent match.

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King Felipe was recently in the stands at the Madrid Open, cheering on Nadal as he played against the Australian player Alex de Minaur, who recently defeated Nadal at the Barcelona Open, kicking him off of the competition. The King was photographed cheering on Nadal and greeting Nadal’s sister, Maribel. Nadal ended up winning the match and continuing his journey in Madrid.

He was grateful for all the support he received, sharing a message and some photos on Instagram. One of them showed him with the King, with Nadal’s family observing the interaction in the background. “Thank you, your majesty for your presence and support,” Nadal wrote in the caption. “Thank you, Madrid. I can feel your love. Let’s go!”

Nadal continues to fight in Madrid

Today, Nadal continued to perform in Madrid, dfeating the Argentinean player Pedro Cachin and moving on to the round of 16. Cachin seemed humbled by the encounter, approaching Nadal and revealing that one of his dreams had just come true in playing against him. “I don’t know if protocol allows it but can I have a shirt or something of yours?” asked Cachin, in a moment captured by cameras and shared on social media. “Of course,” Nadal said, returning to his bench, where he grabbed one of his shirts and handed it to Cachin.

Tomorrow, Nadal is scheduled to play Jiří Lehečka, currently ranked 30th in the ATP.