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Rafael Nadal Roars In Olympics 2016 With Wrist Injury As Future Wife Maria Francisca Perello Avoids Zika

By Jenny Cox
Published on: 12:43 PST, Aug 7, 2016

Rafael Nadal almost did not make it to Olympics 2016 because of his wrist injury. But this may be the last time that the former world number one will be able to take part in the games so he is making the necessary sacrifices to perform at Rio Olympics. Let’s hope that his future wife Maria Francisca Perello is keeping him buoyant!

He won his first match in Brazil with flying colors, not showing that his wrist injury is holding him back.

“With white tape peeking out from under the red sweat band on his injured left wrist, Rafael Nadal was back in action on Sunday (7 August), playing his first match in 2½ months and back at an Olympics for the first time in eight years,” reports Rio 2016. “He was not, Nadal insisted after a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Argentina’s Federico Delbonis, back at full strength, however. And he would not, he also insisted, discuss the problematic tendon sheath in his racket-wielding arm for the rest of the event.”

Rafa was also very supportive of his country’s teammates, giving Twitter shout outs in Olympics 2016 to those who have already snagged gold medals for Spain.

In English, the tweets reads: “Congrats Mireia! First medal for Spain in #Rio2016! Let’s get many more! @miss_belmont.”

He admitted after the match that he is not feeling his 100 percent best, but admitted that this is a once-in-four-year opportunity that he could not pass up.

“My wrist is not perfect. My wrist needs more time,” the Spaniard said. “If it was a ‘normal’ tournament on the circuit, I wouldn’t be here. My wrist is not perfect. It isn’t 100 percent. There’s only one chance every four years to experience an Olympic Games. It’s something unforgettable. I missed the last one in London, so I didn’t want to miss this one.”

Despite his wrist injury, he did win in straight sets against Federico Delbonis. In Round 2, the 29-year-old tennis player will face Italy’s Andreas Seppi.

While his current girlfriend and future wife Maria Francisca Perello was not spotted near the court, she is probably giving him a lot of support for Rio Olympics. He managed to spend a lot of time with her when he had to forego French Open and Wimbledon this summer due to his wrist injury.

When he was not able to compete in Wimbledon, he went straight to a beach holiday with his future wife to keep his mind off from things that he could not control.

“Tennis ace Rafael Nadal was taking his mind off his ailment on Saturday as he soaked up the sun in Formentera, Spain with his long-term girlfriend Xisca Perello, 28,” reports Daily Mail. “Off the court, Rafael showed off his impressive form on a yacht, celebrating his 30th birthday in style with friends, instead of aggravating his sports injury.”

Right before Olympics, he trained on his home island of Mallorca with his uncle Tony, trying to improve the odds of being able to compete in Rio. With the first match out of the way, Rafa may be feeling a lot more confident about facing top tennis players like Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic. It probably was good for his relationship with Maria Francisca Perello to train from home.

Let’s hope that she is avoid as much Zik as possible.

If men’s singles game does not turn out so well for him, he still has his doubles games to take a second stab at the gold medal. He is playing with Marc Lopez Tarres, a 34-year-old professional tennis player ranked 21st on ATP tour.

Do you think Maria Francisca Perello will be the support Rafael Nadal needs in Olympics 2016? Let us know in the comments below!

[Photo by Elise Amendola/AP Images]

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