Tennis superstar Rafael Nadal may be one of the best to ever handle a racket, but the Spaniard is also an ardent golfer, as proven by his recent success at a mid-amateur tournament in Mallorca.

The former World No. 1 recently withdrew from the Qatar Open in Doha, citing failure to recuperate from a hip muscle ailment experienced earlier in the year at the Brisbane International. Nadal had been out for close to a year, as he missed the bulk of the 2023 season owing to an injury suffered at last year’s Australian Open.

Nadal spent his weekend competing at a mid-amateur event in Mallorca and winning in the scratch category. Several fans reacted to the 22-Grand Slam champion’s newest triumph, with many pointing out the fact that he played with his right hand while others critiqued his form.

“It was really strange seeing him play right-handed. I recall Casper, who’s also really into golf, remarking that Rafa’s stroke looks bad in golf but nevertheless still works pretty well for him. I’m no golf expert but have watched it here and there and would agree it looks really terrible compared to what I typically see, but he must be decent,” a fan remarked on Reddit. “That is one ugly swing, but I guess it works for him,” commented another enthusiast.

“He’s got the $. Have someone coach him to take a better backswing. I’m no golf expert, but I can see the blatant difference in his shorter, two-handed backhand-inspired golf swing as contrasted to a more regular golf swing. He makes it work, and sometimes that is half the battle. Better to be about it than to look about it,” suggested another devotee.

“Just imagine if golf was played on clay,” remarked another enthusiast. “Finally found a shot uglier than Cam  Norrie’s backhand,” remarked another admirer. “Imagine if he becomes a gold pro after retiring from tennis,” suggested a fan.