A photo shared by tennis legend Rafel Nadal has gone viral on social media for all the wrong reasons.
Nadal has 15.6 million followers on X (formerly Twitter) alone, and when he shared a photo of himself with fellow great Roger Federer, he could not have possibly imagined the storm it would create.
At the peak of his powers the King of Clay was a different beast to Federer and Novak Djokovic, a hulking, bulked-up machine compared to his slighter, famous rivals.
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And it’s why fans could not believe their eyes when Nadal shared the fresh photo overnight, captioned: “Look who I found in Madrid!”
In the image, Nadal’s famously fit, muscular frame (he retired in 2024) has clearly disappeared.
Alongside Federer, he appeared leaner, smaller … weaker.
Compared to his playing days, Nadal now looks a frail version of himself. Credit: @rafaelnadal/Instagram Such has been the transformation from his playing days, concerned fans even suspected the 39-year-old might be ill.
“All he had to do was lift weights three times a week. He looks like a weak old grandpa. I see so many football players get jacked after retirement because they can finally lift weights. Sad seeing him look so ill,” one fan said.
While some observers suggested the transformation was to be expected after retirement, others were not having a bar of it.
“When someone retires from being a professional athlete, their body no longer looks like a professional athlete’s body because they are not spending all their time being a professional athlete. This isn’t complicated,” one commenter blasted.
But that was immediately rebuffed: “Come on dude. It doesn’t even look like the same person.”
Fans also highlighted the fact that Federer — who retired in 2022 and is 44 years old — still looks exactly the same.
“It would be interesting to know what Nadal changed in his workout regimen. Federer looks the exact same,” one fan mused.
On Instagram, where Nadal has a whopping 21 million followers, there was also shock.
“We need Muscly Nadal back😭🥺,” one follower said.
And another: “What happened to Rafa man… 😢”
But the issue around Nadal’s health was a constant theme.
“Are you alright, Rafa? You look pretty weak. Hope you are doing great,” one concerned fan said on X.
And another: “He alright? Looks a bit unwell.”
And another: “Dang, even billionaires cant stop the ageing process.”
The picture also drew plenty of comments on Reddit with one poster asking: “How does Rafa all of a sudden look like a 79 year old man?”