,type=downsize)
After winning his 19th Grand Slam title at the US Open on Sunday, Rafael Nadal received a special a message of congratulations from some royal fans, King Felipe and Queen Letizia. The Spanish monarchs' official social media account expressed their joy over the Mallorca-born tennis star’s win, writing, “His opponents will say one day: I played against @RafaelNadal #USOpen2019.”
CLICK FOR GALLERY
Rafael is no stranger to the Spanish royal family. This past summer, the tennis player enjoyed lunched with Felipe's parents, former King Juan Carlos and his wife Queen Sofia; and at the French Open in June, Juan Carlos and his daughter Infanta Elena cheered on the Spanish athlete. Rafael has also had Letizia, Felipe, and their daughters—Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía—support him at matches. In June, the royals celebrated Rafa's French Open win writing, "Nadal Garros 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and now ...... TWELVE !!!!!! Rafa, eternal tennis legend !!!! There's no one like you. @RafaelNadal."
Following his victory over Russia’s Daniil Medvedev on Sunday, September 8, the Spanish tennis player returned home to Spain. Sharing a picture of himself relaxing seaside, the US Open champion wrote, “happy to be back home!!! And... Thank you everyone in NYC for the amazing support and thanks the @newyorkpalace for their amazing hospitality these past 3 weeks. For sure back next year!”
The victory marked Rafael's fourth US Open title. After the match, he admitted that the game was “one of the most emotional nights" in his tennis career. In his post-game interview, the 33 year old shared his gratitude for his fans around the world. "I want to thank the entire Latino community,” he said in Spanish, adding, “This victory is for all of you.”