Eagle-eyed fans spot telling detail on Rafael Nadal's bag

Rafael Nadal is hoping to extend his unbeaten start to the new season after touching down in Acapulco for the Mexican Open.

However, eagle-eyed fans have already pointed out one glaring issue with the 21-time grand slam champion.

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Nadal broke the record for the most men's major titles in history after winning the Australian Open last month to go one slam clear of great rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

The Spaniard pulled off an extraordinary comeback to win the Australian Open for his 21st major, erasing a two-set deficit against Daniil Medvedev to prevail in five hours and 24 minutes.

The problem is, the 35-year-old hasn't updated his gear to reflect the history-making achievement.

Footage of Nadal preparing for the Mexican Open was posted on Tennis TV's official Twitter account and it included a close-up of Nadal's tennis bag, which includes embroidery of his previous grand slam victories.

On it was his 13 French Open victories, two Wimbledons and four US Open triumphs, however, there was only the one Australian Open title - the first time he prevailed at Melbourne Park in 2009.

As Tennis TV commented on their social media post: "That tennis bag is gonna need an update" to reflect his record-breaking 21st grand slam title.

Nadal's campaign in Mexico starts with a showdown against big-serving American Reilly Opelka, as the Spaniard looks to improve on his 10-0 start to 2022.

The biggest threat to Nadal's grand slam record will undoubtedly come from Djokovic, who made a winning return to tennis at the Dubai Tennis Championships.

In his first match since having his visa cancelled in the lead-up to the Australian Open, Djokovic was greeted with loud cheers as he took down Lorenzo Musetti 6-3 6-3.

Nadal admits that he would "welcome" seeing Djokovic play at future grand slam tournaments if he is granted permission to do so while unvaccinated against COVID-19.

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Djokovic has courted controversy for his views on being jabbed and was last month deported from Australia on the eve of the Australian Open.

The Serb has confirmed he is willing to miss future slams after stating he was prioritising his right to choose what to put into his body above his sporting ambitions.

Nadal believes that any further omissions from Djokovic would only be harmful to the Serbian's chances of history not the slams themselves, but he would have no issue with his rival playing in the sport's biggest tournaments.

"It will affect Novak's [grand slam] history if he can't play," Nadal said before the Mexican Open.

"It will affect him, not the grand slams themselves. Whoever wins the most slams – it will be what it will be. Everyone takes their own decisions and must live with them.

"In that sense, hopefully the pandemic subsides and we stop having so many deaths around the world and this horror ends, and we can return to normality – not for Novak but for the world in general.

"There are many people that have suffered, but if Novak can play the grand slams unvaccinated, then he is welcome."

Nadal was at pains to point out that his record-breaking 21st major has not been life-changing.

"Absolutely nothing has changed having 21 slams, I won't lie to you," he added.

"From 20 to 21 there is not a very large difference. Life goes on exactly the same. The only thing that has changed is that now I play tennis, which a few months ago I couldn't.

"I am very happy for everything that happened in Australia, it was very unexpected, especially before the tournament started. In my life, nothing has changed. No title is going to change what is important in my life, which are other things.

"Already, at 35 years old, I have a lot of experiences behind me, of successes and bad moments and these sensations already help me to live in a more calm and different way."

with agencies

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