
Arise, noble Rafa, the Marquis of Llevant de Mallorca
Spain's King Felipe VI has granted tennis great Rafa Nadal the noble title of marquis, recognising his contribution to the nation through sporting prowess.
Nadal, the 22-time grand slam champion who retired last year, was among six individuals honoured as part of celebrations marking the monarch's 10th anniversary on the throne.
Other given such titles included pop-rock singer Luz Casal and Paralympic swimmer Teresa Perales.
"They are a source of pride for Spain and a permanent reference point for values that should inspire our society," the palace said.
Former world No.1 Nadal, at 39, will hold the title Marquis of Llevant de Mallorca, the island where he was born and lives. The title can be inherited by his descendants.
Nadal, who won the French Open a record 14 times, was also honoured last month at Roland Garros with a permanent footprint on the Court Philippe Chatrier.
Spain's King Felipe VI has granted tennis great Rafa Nadal the noble title of marquis, recognising his contribution to the nation through sporting prowess.
Nadal, the 22-time grand slam champion who retired last year, was among six individuals honoured as part of celebrations marking the monarch's 10th anniversary on the throne.
Other given such titles included pop-rock singer Luz Casal and Paralympic swimmer Teresa Perales.
"They are a source of pride for Spain and a permanent reference point for values that should inspire our society," the palace said.
Former world No.1 Nadal, at 39, will hold the title Marquis of Llevant de Mallorca, the island where he was born and lives. The title can be inherited by his descendants.
Nadal, who won the French Open a record 14 times, was also honoured last month at Roland Garros with a permanent footprint on the Court Philippe Chatrier.
Spain's King Felipe VI has granted tennis great Rafa Nadal the noble title of marquis, recognising his contribution to the nation through sporting prowess.
Nadal, the 22-time grand slam champion who retired last year, was among six individuals honoured as part of celebrations marking the monarch's 10th anniversary on the throne.
Other given such titles included pop-rock singer Luz Casal and Paralympic swimmer Teresa Perales.
"They are a source of pride for Spain and a permanent reference point for values that should inspire our society," the palace said.
Former world No.1 Nadal, at 39, will hold the title Marquis of Llevant de Mallorca, the island where he was born and lives. The title can be inherited by his descendants.
Nadal, who won the French Open a record 14 times, was also honoured last month at Roland Garros with a permanent footprint on the Court Philippe Chatrier.
Spain's King Felipe VI has granted tennis great Rafa Nadal the noble title of marquis, recognising his contribution to the nation through sporting prowess.
Nadal, the 22-time grand slam champion who retired last year, was among six individuals honoured as part of celebrations marking the monarch's 10th anniversary on the throne.
Other given such titles included pop-rock singer Luz Casal and Paralympic swimmer Teresa Perales.
"They are a source of pride for Spain and a permanent reference point for values that should inspire our society," the palace said.
Former world No.1 Nadal, at 39, will hold the title Marquis of Llevant de Mallorca, the island where he was born and lives. The title can be inherited by his descendants.
Nadal, who won the French Open a record 14 times, was also honoured last month at Roland Garros with a permanent footprint on the Court Philippe Chatrier.

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Question marks have swirled around de Minaur's form and confidence after his dejected second-round exit at Roland Garros was followed by him losing his only tour grass-court match of the season at Queen's Club. But back at another grand slam after a revitalising break in London that's featured golf, relaxation around Wimbledon with fiancee Katie Boulter and a lone exhibition win over fellow Aussie Alexei Popyrin, he sounded a bit more like his normal chipper self at his annual state-of-the-Demon address at Wimbledon on Saturday (Sunday AEST). He did admit his return to his favoured surface had been a bit tentative this year as he recalled the freakish hip injury, caused by "an unnecessary slide" at the end of his Wimbledon fourth-round win over Arthur Fils that eventually stopped him taking the court against Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals. 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Alex de Minaur reckons the downcast figure of Paris has been replaced by the rejuvenated optimist of Wimbledon who's put himself first and is feeling full of beans. But Australia's main man isn't about to make any predictions about another stirring run to match his surge to the quarters last year at Wimbledon, shrugging: "It's now up to my tennis to do the talking." Question marks have swirled around de Minaur's form and confidence after his dejected second-round exit at Roland Garros was followed by him losing his only tour grass-court match of the season at Queen's Club. But back at another grand slam after a revitalising break in London that's featured golf, relaxation around Wimbledon with fiancee Katie Boulter and a lone exhibition win over fellow Aussie Alexei Popyrin, he sounded a bit more like his normal chipper self at his annual state-of-the-Demon address at Wimbledon on Saturday (Sunday AEST). 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Question marks have swirled around de Minaur's form and confidence after his dejected second-round exit at Roland Garros was followed by him losing his only tour grass-court match of the season at Queen's Club. But back at another grand slam after a revitalising break in London that's featured golf, relaxation around Wimbledon with fiancee Katie Boulter and a lone exhibition win over fellow Aussie Alexei Popyrin, he sounded a bit more like his normal chipper self at his annual state-of-the-Demon address at Wimbledon on Saturday (Sunday AEST). He did admit his return to his favoured surface had been a bit tentative this year as he recalled the freakish hip injury, caused by "an unnecessary slide" at the end of his Wimbledon fourth-round win over Arthur Fils that eventually stopped him taking the court against Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals. "But I've been able to really start to feel comfortable again and start to move the way I was last year, and not be afraid to kind of go out there and slide, which is a very good sign for me," said 11th seed de Minaur, who'll open his defence on Tuesday against Spain's world No.74 Roberto Carballes Baena. Talking about his enforced break after Paris when it was hard to remember him seeming so down, he reflected: "I was able to to take a step back, accept what has happened and and put myself first for the first time in a while, and I think that was quite crucial. "And even though it didn't bring out the result I wanted in Queen's (where he was beaten by eventual finalist Jiri Lehecka), I do now feel in a very good head-space going into Wimbledon. "I feel refreshed. I feel full of energy. And now it's up to my tennis to do the talking, right? But there's no excuses, whether physically or mentally. I feel like I'm ready to go." De Minaur's lapse at Roland Garros, when he was two sets up against Alexander Bublik and then felt he lost his way against the marvellous, manic Kazakh, was a rare recent grand slam calamity for the 26-year-old, who had reached at least the last-16 in his six previous majors. Reflecting that he could give himself a "pat on the back" for that consistency, he also admitted his constant demanding schedule had eventually "taken its toll." And asked how so many tour players could avoid that same physical and mental toll, he said: "I think I speak for the vast majority of tennis players, that ideally what we would like to have is a shorter schedule that allows us to have a proper off-season. "So I would shorten the schedule and give players more time off at the end of the year, and then you would see less injuries, over-use injuries and less mental fatigue, which will allow a better level as a whole for the tour, for the spectator, for the sport, and a better atmosphere for everyone."


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2 hours ago
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'No excuses, I'm ready': Demon's pre-Wimby declaration
Alex de Minaur reckons the downcast figure of Paris has been replaced by the rejuvenated optimist of Wimbledon who's put himself first and is feeling full of beans. But Australia's main man isn't about to make any predictions about another stirring run to match his surge to the quarters last year at Wimbledon, shrugging: "It's now up to my tennis to do the talking." Question marks have swirled around de Minaur's form and confidence after his dejected second-round exit at Roland Garros was followed by him losing his only tour grass-court match of the season at Queen's Club. But back at another grand slam after a revitalising break in London that's featured golf, relaxation around Wimbledon with fiancee Katie Boulter and a lone exhibition win over fellow Aussie Alexei Popyrin, he sounded a bit more like his normal chipper self at his annual state-of-the-Demon address at Wimbledon on Saturday (Sunday AEST). He did admit his return to his favoured surface had been a bit tentative this year as he recalled the freakish hip injury, caused by "an unnecessary slide" at the end of his Wimbledon fourth-round win over Arthur Fils that eventually stopped him taking the court against Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals. "But I've been able to really start to feel comfortable again and start to move the way I was last year, and not be afraid to kind of go out there and slide, which is a very good sign for me," said 11th seed de Minaur, who'll open his defence on Tuesday against Spain's world No.74 Roberto Carballes Baena. Talking about his enforced break after Paris when it was hard to remember him seeming so down, he reflected: "I was able to to take a step back, accept what has happened and and put myself first for the first time in a while, and I think that was quite crucial. "And even though it didn't bring out the result I wanted in Queen's (where he was beaten by eventual finalist Jiri Lehecka), I do now feel in a very good head-space going into Wimbledon. "I feel refreshed. I feel full of energy. And now it's up to my tennis to do the talking, right? But there's no excuses, whether physically or mentally. I feel like I'm ready to go." De Minaur's lapse at Roland Garros, when he was two sets up against Alexander Bublik and then felt he lost his way against the marvellous, manic Kazakh, was a rare recent grand slam calamity for the 26-year-old, who had reached at least the last-16 in his six previous majors. Reflecting that he could give himself a "pat on the back" for that consistency, he also admitted his constant demanding schedule had eventually "taken its toll." And asked how so many tour players could avoid that same physical and mental toll, he said: "I think I speak for the vast majority of tennis players, that ideally what we would like to have is a shorter schedule that allows us to have a proper off-season. "So I would shorten the schedule and give players more time off at the end of the year, and then you would see less injuries, over-use injuries and less mental fatigue, which will allow a better level as a whole for the tour, for the spectator, for the sport, and a better atmosphere for everyone."