Nadal flies in for firsthand look at Tiger’s comeback
NASSAU, Bahamas — Current greatness followed past greatness in Sunday’s final round of the Hero World Challenge at Albany Golf Club.
Rafael Nadal, the current No. 1-ranked tennis player in the world and winner of 16 Grand Slam singles titles, walked 18 holes inside the ropes following Tiger Woods, winner of 14 golf Grand Slam titles.
Nadal, who’s been vacationing on nearby Exuma Island, flew in for the day to see Woods play, and was taken aback at how good Woods looked after a ninemonth injury layoff.
“I’ve seen him play before, but I didn’t expect to watch him play this well at the beginning,” Nadal told The Post while walking down the 18th fairway. “I think this is a very important moment now for golf and himself and for all the people who love the sport in general. He’s the most charismatic star golf has had in the past 50 years or so. For everyone to see him back is something great for the sport.”
Nadal, who in the past has been sidelined by debilitating knee and foot injuries that have halted his ca- reer several times, knows a thing or two about the difficult journey back to the elite level of performance.
“When you are injured, as I went through a couple of times in my career, you don’t think about what other people are thinking — you think about coming back and being healthy,” Nadal said. “You know that the beginning is going to be tough, for sure, and you have to be ready for those tough situations.
“And when you go through them, you are stronger. You have a lot of energy and passion because you weren’t able to be able to do what you used to be able to do for awhile.”
Nadal, who has a 2.5 handicap on the course, has been friendly with Woods the last couple of years. Woods watched his semifinal and final victories at the U.S. Open in September.
“I’m happy to see him play well,” Nadal said. “Tiger is unbelievable. I just love to see him play whether it is here or on TV. The first thing is you need to be healthy to practice again, as well as be mentally strong to do the things you think you need to do to be back to your top. If Tiger’s healthy, then I believe that has everything to where he deserves to be.”