TENNIS great Rafael Nadal returned to the tennis court, practicing alongside Filipina tennis star Alex Eala.
In an Instagram post, Nadal said it felt great to be back.
“One year later, it felt great to be back on a tennis court. It was great to practice with you @alex.eala! Next time I will be stronger,” he wrote.
Eala also thanked Nadal for sharing the court with her.
“Back like you never left,” she wrote in the comment section of Nadal’s Instagram video.
The young Filipina tennis star previously trained in Nadal’s academy in Spain.
Nadal retired after stints at the Paris Olympics and the 2024 Davis Cup Finals last year.
Eala is preparing for the upcoming Southeast Asian Games in Thailand. She previously won two bronze medals at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China two years ago.
The upcoming SEA Games will be Eala’s second SEA Games, after winning three bronze medals in Vietnam in 2022.
This year saw Eala reach new heights, especially in the WTA rankings, where she is now ranked 50th in the world.
Prior to the SEA Games, Eala won her first Grand Slam match in the US Open and her first WTA tournament in the Guadalajara Open, as well as upsetting higher seeds in the Miami Open earlier this year.
The current live WTA rankings still show Eala in 50th, as of Thursday.