Rafael Nadal applauds winners of the Rafa Nadal Tour for youngsters' 2nd leg

Rafael Nadal has expressed his admiration for the winners of the second leg of the Rafa Nadal Tour for youngsters.

Nadal made his highly anticipated return to the men's tour this year at the Brisbane International. Despite a valiant effort against Jordan Thompson in the quarterfinals, he couldn't edge past the Australian in three sets.

With preparations currently underway for the upcoming hardcourt swing in the United States, Nadal took some time out to acknowledge the efforts put in by youngsters on the Rafa Nadal Tour. He applauded the winners of the ongoing youth event through his social media account on Instagram.

The post can be seen below:

Rafael Nadal applauds the winnners on the Rafa Nadal tour

The Rafa Nadal Tour, a junior charity tennis tournament founded in 2014, aims to combine sport with education for young players. Their core values focus on embedding sportsmanship, commitment, effort and fellowship among the participants.

The former World No. 1 is also the most followed tennis player on Instagram. He recently hit the 21 million mark on the popular social media platform, leading the charts alongside Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

Rafael Nadal will return to the men's tour at the Indian Wells; Let's analyse his record at the Masters 1000 event

Rafael Nadal : 2024 Brisbane International: Day 6

After making a successful comeback to the men's tour this year, Rafael Nadal will compete again at the upcoming Indian Wells event in California, United States.

The Spaniard has a strong Masters 1000 record, having won 59 out of 70 matches. He has reached the finals five times since 2004 and has won the trophy thrice.

The 37-year-old was one win away from claiming his fourth title at the Indian Wells in 2022. He outclassed the likes of Reilly Opelka, Nick Kyrgios and Carlos Alcaraz en route to the finals, but couldn't make his mark against Taylor Fritz, who defeated the Spaniard in straight sets 6-3, 7-6(5).

Nadal will be determined to make a significant impact at The Indian Wells 2024, which begins on March 4.