Rafael Nadal voted the greatest Spanish athlete of modern times
Because there is not much else going on, the Spanish sports newspaper Marca has started a survey about the greatest Spanish athlete of modern times. And with Rafael Nadal the expected winner.
by tennisnet.com
last edit:
May 17, 2020, 09:13 pm
When it comes to top male athletes, Spain can draw on resources like no other nation: World championship titles in football (2010 in South Africa) or basketball (most recently in 2019) are only made possible by outstanding athletes, plus Spanish excellence in various motorsport disciplines (Formula 1, MotoGP, rally). And there are still a few, though by no means immaculate, heroes on bikes.
Unfortunately for everyone involved in the survey by the Spanish sports newspaper Marca, Rafael Nadal also uses a Spanish passport to identify himself when traveling around the world. And there was no herb against the 19-time Grand Slam champion.
Nadal in the "final" against Pau Gasol
In round one, Nadal breaded in favor of the rally ace Carlos Sainz with 94: 6 percent of the votes cast, followed by exactly the same result against cyclist Alberto Contador. In the semifinals, Nadal faced another Velo artist, Miguel Indurain, the five-time winner of the Tour de France. 83 percent of the fans saw Nadal up front.
And in the “Finale”, Pau Gasol was finally without a chance. The basketball player had led his nation to the world title last year, winning several titles in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers a few years ago. Against Rafael Nadal, however, it was only 18 percent of the vote. The left-hander from Mallorca ended 2019 as the world's number one - and also gave his team the triumph at the first final tournament in the Davis Cup in Madrid.