nadal tour south america

Rafa Nadal and Casper Ruud end South American swing in stunning Mexico City setting

By tom grant.

03/12/2022 15:30 Last updated 03/12/2022 14:13

Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud have been thrilling crowds across South America over the last two weeks with a host of exhibition tennis played in some stunning venues.

Competing in Buenos Aires, Belo Horizonte, Quito, Bogota and concluding in Mexico City, the World No.2 and No.3 entertained their adoring fans with some light-hearted thrills, proving once again the sport's pull in Latin America after they sold out venues across the continent.

Nadal ended the fortnight with a 4-1 winning record over his good friend Ruud, with the Norwegian's only triumph coming in Quito, Ecuador.

However, the last duel in Mexico City will surely be remembered for the epic setting it offered in which to host a tennis match rather than the rallies on show.

The Monumental Plaza de Toros Mexico hosted the match, a truly gorgeous surrounding that reportedly welcomed over 40,000 fans to watch.

Nadal wrapped up the series with a 7-6, 6-4 victory in front of delighted Mexican fans with the tennis stars giving the crowd the respect they were owed, fervently competing for each point and trading winners.

As much as the tennis on show would have delighted those who attended each venue, the exhibition tour was more a chance for Nadal lovers to get a glimpse of the 22-time Grand Slam champion in the flesh, possibly for the final time, as the Spanish star enters the twilight of his career.

Check out the Monumental Plaza de Toros Mexico, a unique way to watch tennis

Next up for the duo is some much-needed rest, recuperation and family time over the festive period ahead of another gruelling 2023 season on the horizon.

That all starts with the inaugural United Cup, a mixed event that could see Nadal face long-term rival Nick Kyrgios in what would prove to be a mouth-watering start to the year.

They are set to meet in Group D as Spain take on home-nation Australia.

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Rg rematch: nadal to face ruud in south american exhibitions.

        View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Casper Ruud (@casperruud)

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WATCH: Rafael Nadal tunes up Casper Ruud’s Spanish as the Norwegian joins him for the South-American tour scheduled for November

Casper Ruud, Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal had long back announced his plans for an exhibition tour in South America. The tour will be held in November after the 2022 ATP Finals are played out. The Tour will see Nadal visit Chile, Argentina, Ecuador and Colombia where he will take on some of the local players.

Joining Nadal will be current World No. 2 Casper Ruud , the finalist at the 2022 French Open . Ruud had lost to Nadal in the finals and then lost another major final to Carlos Alcaraz at the 2022 US Open . Ruud has shown his best game on claycourts and is looked upon as Nadal’s successor on the surface.

Nadal announced Ruud’s addition to the Tour in a unique way with the video posted on their respective Instagram handles. The video saw the two men speaking in Spanish where it looked Nadal was checking on Ruud’s Spanish as it might come in very handy during the Tour in a few weeks’ time.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Casper Ruud (@casperruud)

Also Read: Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek, Nick Kyrgios and other top players confirmed for new exhibition event in Dubai, sponsors unknown

Rafael Nadal’s tour to be non-profit and aims to support wheelchair tennis

From Ruud’s post, the tour will start in Argentina on November 23rd three days after the ATP Finals. The 2022 ATP Finals are scheduled from 13th to 20th in Turin, Italy. Both Nadal and Ruud have qualified for the year-end championships and will both be eyeing their maiden title at the event.

“We told him that it was a non-profit event, in which we brought him to support us by showing tennis players in wheelchairs,” said Gabriel Basso , executive director of the Fashion Museum Foundation, the organizer of the exhibition tour.

So far, Alejandro Tabilo is confirmed as the opponent for Nadal for the match in Chile. The opponents for the other nations are however yet to be confirmed. With Ruud now added to the Tour, it’s unclear whether he will be one of the opponents or a doubles partner if Nadal aims to play both disciplines.

Also Read: WATCH: “F***ing unprofessional” Corentin Moutet and Adrian Andreev indulge in an ‘ugly’ on-court fight after their match at Orleans Challenger

Also Read:  Pam Shriver slams Naomi Osaka and advises her to seek inspiration from Serena Williams in her quest to be back in form

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Frenetic cheers for Rafel Nadal on exhibition tour in South America

Rafael Nadal is currently on an exhibition tour of South and Central America with Casper Ruud . The Spaniard's reception in Buenos Aires was phenomenal.

by Stefan Bergmann last edit: Nov 24, 2022, 03:01 pm

All too often, South and Central American tennis fans don't get the chance to see players of the caliber of Rafael Nadal live. The Spaniard last paid tribute to Latin swing in spring with the clay court events in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro in 2016. At least the almost annual flying visit of the 22-time Grand Slam champion to the hard court 500 tournament in Acapulco remains for the Mexican Rafa aficionados.

So it is more than fitting that the current world number two has set out with his ranking neighbor Casper Ruud to play an extended exhibition tour in the aforementioned territory. Yesterday evening (local time) the first stop was in Buenos Aires, Argentina. And what can one say - the reception of the audience will have made the hardships of the long 2022 season forgotten, at least for a few moments.

http://twitter.com/diegoamuy/status/1595538373728428032

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For the sake of completeness it should be mentioned that the "Bull from Manacor" won the first duel of the show fight series with the Norwegian young star 7:6, 6:2. The two top stars then cheered the minds of the numerous spectators in mixed doubles with the Argentine ex-world-class players Gabriela Sabatini and Gisela Dulko.

http://twitter.com/diegoamuy/status/1595589288414027776

The next stop on the Latin America Exhibition Tour is Santiago de Chile tomorrow. The other venues: 26.11. Belo Horizonte, Brazil; 11/27 Quito, Ecuador; 11/29 Bogota, Colombia; 1. 12. Mexico City, Mexico

by Stefan Bergmann

Thursday Nov 24, 2022, 05:38 pm last edit: Nov 24, 2022, 03:01 pm

Nadal and Ruud to go on exhibition tour in South America

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Casper Ruud (@casperruud)

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Ruud joins Rafael Nadal in exhibition tour to get revenge

Tennis - See where the exhibition tour will be taking place.

Casper Ruud accepted Rafael Nadal's invitation to accompany him during an exhibition tour in South America, which will take place in November. Nadal and Ruud announced the exhibition on Instagram, where they had a conversation in Spanish.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Casper Ruud (@casperruud)

In early June, Ruud suffered a straight-set defeat to Nadal in the Roland Garros final. Ruud, 23, made his second Grand Slam final at the US Open. Unfortunately for Ruud, he once again fell short of winning a Grand Slam title as Carlos Alcaraz handed him a four-set defeat in the final at Flushing Meadows.

Even though Ruud didn't win his first Grand Slam title, he was proud of the run he put up at Flushing Meadows. “I'm proud of the match and the two weeks. I gave it my all. I left it all out on the court. Played some phenomenal tennis throughout the two weeks, probably my best tennis ever on this surface”.

Nadal congratulated Ruud for his US Open run

Casper Ruud was touched to see Rafael Nadal call out to him and congratulate him on his performance at the US Open. At the US Open, Ruud, 23, reached his second Grand Slam final.

Unfortunately for Ruud, he was defeated in the final of the Flushing Meadows Grand Slam by Carlos Alcaraz, who eliminated him in four sets. "Congratulations @carlosalcaraz for your first Grand Slam and for number 1, which is the culmination of your first great season, which I am sure will be many more!

Great effort @CasperRuud98! very proud of you! Tough luck today but amazing tournament and season! Keep going!" Nadal tweeted. "Thank you Rafa! See you soon," Ruud responded to Nadal's message.

Rafa heads to South America

His sister shines at awards ceremony.

Tennis ace Rafa Nadal left Mallorca this morning bound for South America where he will be playing a series of exhibition matches. Unlike in Turin, where he was accompanied by his wife and child, he will be travelling alone and be playing alongside Casper Ruud.

Tomorrow, Ruud will face the Mallorcan in the first match of the tour, which will be followed by a mixed doubles match. In contrast to Nadal, who will pair up with Argentine Gabriela Sabatini for the doubles match, the Norwegian will partner with former World No. 1 in doubles Gisela Dulko.

Related news

Nadal signs off with win, avoids matching worst run

More related news.

Casper has just lost in the final of the recent ATP Finals to Novak Djokovic. He was honored to be asked to participate to this tour to say:

“It’s something that I was honored to be invited to the Latin American tour with Rafa. I’m not going to say it’s going to be very demanding. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. Let’s see when I get back. I still will have many days to recover from the jet lag and whatever,” he added.

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Why Is South America’s Leading Soccer Tournament Being Played in the United States?

On Thursday, at 8 P.M. Eastern Time, Lionel Messi’s Argentina will defend its title as the South American champion in the opening game of the Copa América, the longest-running international soccer tournament in the world. It won’t take place, however, in any country south of the Darién jungle but in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, in Atlanta, and Argentina’s first opponent will be Canada. The United States, Mexico, Jamaica, Panama, and Costa Rica will also participate in this South American tournament, which will be held in Atlanta, East Rutherford, Orlando, Charlotte, Kansas City, Arlington, Houston, Austin, Glendale, Las Vegas, Inglewood, and Santa Clara. The final, on Sunday, July 14th, will be played in Miami Gardens.

How has it come to this? The first and most simple answer is that South America is in such a mess that it can no longer take care of its most precious tournament. It’s not like the Copa has had a smooth history. Conceived as part of the centennial celebrations of Argentina’s independence from Spain, in 1816, its first edition took place in Buenos Aires during two weeks in July of 1916, among only four teams—Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Chile. Six more national teams were added in the following decades: Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela, covering almost all the continent. (Guyana and Suriname, the remaining South American nations, became and still are part of CONCACAF , the association that governs North American, Central American, and Caribbean teams, including the U.S. national team. All other South American teams belong to CONMEBOL .)

Different crises have interrupted the Copa over the years. It was played annually until 1929, apart from 1918, owing to the flu pandemic, and 1928, when Argentina and Uruguay participated in the Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, instead. In 1930, Uruguay hosted the first-ever World Cup, defeating Argentina in the final; the subsequent beef between the two countries—and the two leading teams—prevented the Copa from being played for most of the following decade. Various reasons contributed to only six Copa Américas being held in the nineteen-forties, six in the fifties, and just two in the sixties, among them a waning interest in some countries before broadcasting rights made the sport hugely profitable.

In the nineteen-eighties, it was decided that host countries would be appointed in alphabetical order. Argentina and Colombia were scheduled to co-host the Copa in 2020, but it was delayed owing to the COVID pandemic. The following year, the games in Colombia were suspended in the midst of widespread anti-government protests, and in Argentina, owing to health concerns. And then Brazil, which had hosted it in 2019, took over again. The final, won 1–0 by Messi’s Argentina over his friend Neymar’s Brazil, was played in an almost empty Maracanã Stadium, in Rio de Janeiro.

This year, it was Ecuador’s turn to host. But, in November, 2022, the president of the Ecuadorian Football Federation, Francisco Egas, warned in a radio interview that “we don’t have the capacity to organize the Copa América.” In fact, the nation was in an unprecedented crisis, the result of an especially devastating bout of the pandemic that led to the collapse of public services and brutal gang violence, which, at the beginning of this year, resulted in a declaration of national emergency. When Ecuador decided to pass, CONMEBOL and CONCACAF saw an opportunity to offer an expanded Copa América in the U.S. in anticipation of the 2026 World Cup, when the U.S. will be one of the host countries. They not only embraced the U.S. as the host of the Copa but changed the structure of the tournament to include six CONCACAF members.

“Why is Copa América played in the United States this year? Simple answer: money,” Pablo Alabarces, a sociologist and the author of several books on soccer, including “ A Minimal History of Football in Latin America ,” told me. Oscar Barnade, the vice-president of the Argentinean Center for Research on the History of Football, concurred, saying that CONMEBOL ’s management has “surrendered to the economic power of the U.S. and the M.L.S. (Major League Soccer).”

The Copa had been hosted in the U.S. once before, in 2016, for a special celebration of its centennial. It took place a year into the FIFA corruption case, an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice which found that federation executives, including a number from CONMEBOL and CONCACAF , had received more than two hundred million dollars in bribes on marketing and broadcast deals. Despite that scandal, the Cup broke records of attendance with nearly 1.5 million spectators, giving a serious boost to the effort, several decades old, to make soccer a popular sport in the United States. More than a hundred million people watched the matches on Univision and Fox. (Broadcasting rights are core to the soccer business: they generated forty-five per cent of FIFA ’s revenue between 2019 and 2022, which totalled nearly $7.6 billion.)

Last year, Messi, who had led Argentina to victory in both the 2021 Copa América and the 2022 World Cup, joined Inter Miami , an M.L.S. team. Apple TV+ had recently signed a $2.5-billion, ten-year deal to stream the league’s games. The operation has been quite successful. After Messi joined Inter Miami, the club’s value increased from six hundred million dollars to more than a billion. On the day he made his début, Apple TV+ saw a 1,690-per-cent increase in subscriptions to its M.L.S. Season Pass. Ticket prices for his first Inter Miami games increased by more than a thousand per cent in the secondary market. The club’s Instagram account jumped from 1.1 million to 6.9 million followers immediately after Messi announced his decision; Messi now has more than five hundred million followers of his own. Celebrities have been flocking to see him play, including LeBron James, Serena Williams, Prince Harry, Kim Kardashian, Leonardo DiCaprio, Will Ferrell, and Selena Gomez. Earlier this year, Messi was named America’s favorite professional athlete in a national poll conducted by Social Science Research Solutions; it was the first time a soccer player topped the list.

Recent surveys by Gallup and Pew Research show that soccer, the most popular sport in the world, is now the fourth most popular in the U.S., behind football, baseball, and basketball. Additionally, it has a more diverse and younger fan base than other major sports. It is the favorite sport among Latinos, a population of more than sixty-three million people and growing; if U.S Latinos were a country, it would be the third-largest in Latin America, after Brazil and Mexico. Not surprisingly, most of the Copa América matches will be played in cities with significant Latino populations.

Beyond the conquest of this tantalizing American market, the transformation of the Copa América from a purely South American tournament into a transcontinental one fits perfectly with a global, twenty-first-century trend: the transnationalization of the sport that Americans know as soccer and the rest of the world knows as football. These days, major European teams routinely tour the U.S., Asia, and Australia in the pre-season; players from the Global South are sold as soon as they are turned out by local academies to European clubs owned not only by millionaires from around the world but even by state proxies, as in the case of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. You can even follow the adventures of two Hollywood actors buying an old and failing club in a small town in Wales and turning it into a global sensation.

Tournaments, no matter how traditional, have to adapt to the new reality. Two years from now, the World Cup will be played, for the first time, in three countries—Canada, the U.S., and Mexico—and the number of participants has been boosted from thirty-two nations to a record forty-eight. On the bright side, one could argue that the sport is now reaching fans in stadiums in countries where the top international players never competed before. On the other hand, the price of admission to the matches is becoming increasingly prohibitive. Standard tickets for Copa América games average two hundred and eighty dollars and have surpassed eight thousand on resale.

In this new world, consumers replace fans, and star-struck audiences crowd out the old sport lovers. In February, almost forty thousand people attended an Inter Miami match in Hong Kong, paying at least eight hundred and eighty Hong Kong dollars (about a hundred and twelve U.S. dollars) per ticket to watch the best player in the world. But Messi, who was injured, remained on the bench the entire game. “We want Messi,” the fans chanted, and then demanded a refund. A diplomatic crisis followed, with various government and sports authorities in Hong Kong and Beijing responding angrily, and the state press alleging “political motives.” Messi was forced to clarify that, truly, he had nothing against China. ♦

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