Rafael Nadal tests positive for covid after his meeting with Juan Carlos I in Abu Dhabi

Rafa Nadal announced this Monday on social networks that he has tested positive for coronavirus. This occurred after returning home after participating in the Abu Dhabi exhibition tournament, where he had a meeting with Juan Carlos I. The emeritus king, who reached the players' room leaning on a cane, took a picture with the tennis player and with Carlos Moyà in a relaxed attitude, eating, chatting and laughing.

"Hello everyone. I wanted to announce that on my return home after playing the Abu Dhabi tournament, I have tested positive for COVID in the PCR test that was carried out on me when I arrived in Spain", said the Spaniard. "I am going through some unpleasant moments but I am confident that I will improve little by little. Now I am confined at home and I have informed the people who have been in contact with me of the result," he assured.

As he explained on Twitter, "both in Kuwait", where he traveled first, "and in Abu Dhabi we had controls every two days and all were negative". The last of them, she has specified, was on Friday and she received the result on Saturday.

It was precisely on Friday that he made contact with Don Juan Carlos with whom, according to 'El Mundo', he even had dinner. The emeritus king attended the semi-final match of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship at the Zayed Sports City International Tennis Center in Abu Dhabi.

Don Juan Carlos, who turns 84 on January 5, has resided in the United Arab Emirates since August 2020, where he would have received the corresponding covid vaccines, without knowing whether he has already received the third dose of booster.

The news of Nadal's positive, which should be considered a close contact because both were together without a mask in a closed space, comes amidst speculation about his possible return to Spain, now that his legal outlook seems much clearer, although at the moment there is no scheduled date.

Nadal's sporting career

This situation further compromises the start of Nadal's official season in 2022. "As a consequence of the situation, I have to have total flexibility with my calendar and I will analyze my options depending on of my evolution. I will keep you informed of any decision about my future tournaments!", he pointed out.

Nadal had planned to attend the Melbourne tournament, from January 3 to 9, to later face the Australian Open, starting on the 17th. His evolution, therefore, will mark his immediate sporting future.