Tennis superstar Rafael Nadal has underlined his humility once again after backing Lionel Messi to beat him to one of the top awards in sports.
Both athletes find themselves among the six nominees shortlisted for Sportsman of the Year at the upcoming Laureus World Sports Awards. Nadal, 36, won both the Australian Open and French Open in 2022 to temporarily move clear of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer as the all-time record-holder of major titles in men's tennis (22).
However, the Spaniard—who has been named Sportsman of the Year on two occasions (2011 and 2021)—took to Instagram to shine the spotlight on one 'rival' in particular. Nadal described it as "an honor (sic) to be nominated again" by Laureus before shifting the attention to World Cup-winner Messi.
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