Rafa Nadal, an idol more than requested during his visits to Madrid, yesterday made a hole in his busy schedule for this newspaper to collect the AS Sports Award 2020 in a posh artistic setting, the Royal Theater Dance Hall. The Spaniard was awarded this recognition on and off the track. On the one hand, won Roland Garros for the 13th time to equal the men's record of 20 Grand Slam titles that Roger Federer owned solo. And on the other hand, together with Pau Gasol organized a campaign (#NuestraMejorVictoria) to support the Red Cross Responde project which has already helped almost three million people in vulnerable situations in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
In fact, Gasol intervened from Los Angeles, through a recorded video, to receive for this reason the AS Solidario del Deporte 2020 Award. “With all of you, Don Rafael Nadal Parera”, announced the director of the Sports Carousel of the SER, Dani Garrido, presenter of the event, who used the words with which Pau described his friend on Twitter: “It is more than a legend” . Rami Aboukhair, CEO of Santander Spain, which sponsors the Mallorcan, gave him the statuette designed by Mariscal.
“It was, and still is, a very difficult time for everyone. We were uncertain about doing something to help, but we did not know how to start as we were in a new situation for everyone. One day I spoke with Pau and we agreed with the Red Cross on a project that we liked from the beginning. Then a lot of people got involved and luckily it was a success and a lot of money was raised “, Nadal assured the AS.TV microphone upon his arrival at the Teatro Real.
“Many thanks to AS for this recognition at such a difficult time. At the end of the day I think we have to be proud of Spanish sport, of what we have managed to do as a united family to contribute our little grain of sand from our position, because we got to what we could to be a good example for society. I think it was the main objective. I want to thank AS and all the media that in these difficult times continue to go forward, counting both our successes and defeats and that you are with us at all times. I hope that we can see each other in a different way as soon as possible, that this terrible situation passes. Much encouragement to all the people who follow the foot of the canyon and those who suffer the pandemic in the first person, especially those who have lost a loved one, which is the most difficult thing to accept in this whole situation. Also those who struggle economically to get ahead ”.
This was by no means the first time that our newspaper, which opened its awards ceremony in 2007, honored Nadal. And it probably won't be the lastHe did it for the first time in 2008, a year in which he won two Grand Slam (Wimbledon and Roland Garros), gold in Beijing, the Prince of Asturias Award and reached number one in the world. That time, the great Spanish champion could not attend and thanked by videoconference. In 2010, a season in which he triumphed at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open, he did attend the Gala. And he had a great time with other winners such as Vicente del Bosque, Jorge Lorenzo and Marc Marquez.
In 2016, a waterspout left Rafa trapped in Manacor and he could not attend a party in which his partner and, like him, Olympic champion in the doubles of Rio 2016, Marc López, were. The following year it did not fail. It coincided with the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of AS and was highlighted as the best Spanish athlete in history in an unforgettable and star-studded event at Madrid City Hall. He took dozens of photos, chatted with everyone and enjoyed himself.
All this on a very busy day that began at the headquarters of the Community of Madrid, near Ópera, in Puerta de Sol, where the president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, imposed the Grand Cross of the Order of the Dos de Mayo: “This city, of which I feel very close, always supports the sport,” he said. Later he attended Spanish Television and had stayed for the night with Pablo Motos as a guest of El Hormiguero. He has been to the AS Awards five times now, but he could have come every year, even that 2015 that he himself remembers as the worst of his career, because he deserves it and will always have a place on our pages.