Rafael Nadal wears $1m Richard Mille watch as he makes long-awaited tennis return

RSS Feed

Rafael Nadal was spotted wearing his special limited edition Richard Mille watch on his return at the Barcelona Open.

The Spaniard had been out of action since picking up a hip injury in the Brisbane International in January that ruled him out of the Australian Open.


Nadal has finally made his comeback in what could be his final year on the court

Getty

However, he was back in action at the Barcelona Open where his luxury Richard Mille collaboration watch caught the eye in his first round win over Flavio Cobolli.

The RM 27-04 costs a reported $1,050,000 and it is a model that is also limited to just 50 pieces across the world.

It was designed to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Nadal’s collaboration with luxury watch company Richard Mille, which started in 2010.

It took Nadal, who has won around $135million in prize money during his career, a while to be convinced to wear a watch during matches. He worked with Mille to design one, which resulted in the RM 027 – the first to bear his name.

The collaboration is one that Nadal is certainly proud to be part of as he previously said in a statement: “In our respective domains, we both seek to achieve excellence. We speak the same language, Richard and I.”

Richard Mille watches prove to be a huge hit amongst professional athletes, with golf star Bubba Watson wearing his own $2million timepiece at The Masters last week.

Nadal, who is well-known as the ‘King of Clay’, will face Alex de Minaur in the last 32 of the Barcelona Open after his 6-2 6-3 win over Cobolli.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion has won 63 of his 71 tournament finals on the surface, with only three defeats coming in best-of-five matches.


Images from training show how detailed his luxury Richard Mille watch is

Getty


Nadal was spotted with the timepiece on his wrist at the Barcelona Open

Getty

Nadal could be playing in the final year of his illustrious career having previously admitted he could retire after the 2024 season.

But before taking to the Barcelona Open he said he isn’t ‘putting a deadline’ on retirement, although after his latest win he said that things aren’t getting easier for him.

“I’ve tried a lot of times in my career, it’s true that every time is more difficult,” he said via Sky Sports on comebacks amid his challenges. “Especially when you’re in an advanced age, it makes things even tougher.

“I am going through tough moments. But at the same time when I am able to be on the tour for a few days and practice with the guys and then be able to compete a little bit, it means a lot to me. It’s still enjoyable enough to keep doing.”


Source: TalkSport.com Tennis