The return of a legend: Rafael Nadal will face Alejandro Tabilo in Chile

There is no doubt that Rafael Nadal is one of the greatest athletes in history and his figure transcends the barriers of tennis. In Chile, the Spaniard has a significant number of admirers, who yearn to see him again after nine years. And this possibility will be given again in November, because, from an important direction of the Fashion Museum Foundation, the Manaco man will land for the third time in the country.

Rafa is planning a tour of South America, where Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador appear as likely destinations. Chile will join them, after the negotiations started several months ago were finalized this Friday in Madrid.

Another complication encountered by the organization was the search for a rival. In this direction, Alejandro Tabilo will be the one to face him, taking advantage of his very good arrival with the public and his good time on the circuit. who from next week will have him as the new number one in Chile.

The date that is managed is November 24 or 25, days that generate an inconvenience when choosing the stage, since the natural place where these types of exhibitions take place, the Movistar Arena, will not be available, since it will be occupied by the Argentine group Los Fabulosos Cadillacs. Thus, the organizers had to turn to two places: the the Sausalito stadium in Viña del Mar, a redoubt which brings back very good memories to the pupil of Guillermo Gómez, since Everton, the team of his loves, plays there at his home, and he also has many relatives in the area; and also San Carlos de Apoquindo. There is even a third, more distant option, which is the Santa Laura Stadium.

Thus, for example, the 23,000 spectators of the colossus of Viña del Mar offer the possibility of a large capacity, which will in any case be conditioned by the health regulations of the time and by the sector where the court is installed. This option also allows you to accommodate a larger number of audiences and therefore recoup the investment. One of the most memorable events in similar conditions was Marcelo Ríos’ farewell against Guillermo Coria, in December 2004, on the main pitch of the San Carlos de Apoquindo stadium.

On the other hand, the 36-year-old will carry out various activities with the Fashion Museum during his stay, which will last two days.

Rafael Nadal first arrived in Chile in February 2013. His arrival was the big news this summer. At that time, after winning everything, Rafa missed the entire second half of 2012 and his comeback was postponed. until it miraculously happened in the modest ATP 250 in Viña del Mar, which he reached by invitation. His 10 days in the Garden City unleashed the madness of fans, who packed up his practices. On the court, the man from Manaco suffered a surprising fall against the Argentinian Horacio Zeballos, in one of his very rare defeats on clay.

Despite this, Rafa’s season ended with an impressive record of 75 wins and just seven losses. Moreover, he won 10 titles, including Roland Garros and the US Open, which allowed him to recover the world number one.

To end this beautiful year, In November 2013, Nadal returned to South America alongside Novak Djokovic. On this occasion they appeared in an exhibition at the Movistar Arena, as part of Nicolás Massú’s farewell , who on August 27 of the same year decided to put an end to his brilliant tennis career. The Vampire defeated Argentinian David Nalbandian and in the long distance duel Nole was victorious.