Rafael Nadal suffers heartbreaking blow just weeks before last match as tennis icon receives support

Nadal founded the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy back in October 2016. It is located in his hometown of Manacor on the island of Mallorca, with Casper Ruud the biggest name to have trained there in the years since.

However, the tennis star's beloved academy has now suffered serious damage following recent flooding in Mallorca.

The storm, which caused havoc during the early hours of Monday morning, led to road closures and rescues in the region.

The academy's social media website has confirmed everyone is safe but images show the sheer scale of the damage caused.

One picture shows one of the indoor facilities badly flooded, while the outside courts were also caught up in the storm.

The academy said: "Thank you all very much for your messages of love after the huge storm.

Muchas gracias a todos por vuestros mensajes de cariño tras la enorme 🌨️.

Lo importante es que todos estamos bien y trabajando para recuperar lo antes posible la vida normal en la academia ¡Gracias a @BombersdeMca y a los equipazos de mantenimiento por vuestro esfuerzo! 👏🏻👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/Vcaziw5p6w

— Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar (@rnadalacademy) October 28, 2024

"The important thing is that we are all well and working to get back to normal life at the academy as soon as possible.

"Thanks to @BombersdeMca and the maintenance teams for your effort!"

Fans on social media have since sent messages of support.

"Sending my thoughts and well-wishes. So sorry to know about situation of RNA after the storm. Hope all is well," said one user.

A second wrote: "Sorry for you all this happened. Good luck in handling the situation."

A third said: "Sending big hugs."

Another wrote: "This beautiful academy has an unmatched fighting spirit! I truly hope you have all the help and support you need to get back on your feet. Sending you love."

And a fifth said: "Wow! So sad to see like this! Hopefully they will get back to being perfect soon. Was beautiful when we visited August last year!"

Earlier this month, Nadal confirmed that he'd decided to walk away from tennis before the end of the year.

He will walk away with a staggering 22 Grand Slam titles, with only Novak Djokovic winning more.

With Nadal following Djokovic off into retirement, it means the Serb is the last man standing of the famous 'big four'.

And the Spaniard recently expressed a belief that his long-term rival will have a 'small mental breakdown' when he decides to follow suit.

"I think it's human that Novak, even if he's still healthy, is of a certain age and it's logical that the clock takes its toll on all of us and that, once Federer has gone, once I'm gone, since we've been his two great rivals, at some point he also has a small mental breakdown and will find a reason to step aside," he told AS.

"That's what happens to everyone. And Novak is good enough to, if he's healthy, continue to be competitive at the highest level and aspire to win the most important tournaments.

"And if he's still happy doing what he does, he'll keep doing it. If at some point, everything he has to do to have a chance of continuing to be at the highest level is no longer worth it, then he'll step aside, that's what I think."