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Rafael Nadal Kisses Xisca Perello After Winning Monte Carlo Against Gael Monfils

By Jenny Cox
Published on: 17:31 PST, Apr 17, 2016

Rafael Nadal defeated Gael Monfils to win the championship title at Monte Carlo 2016. To celebrate, he rushed to his box to give his girlfriend Xisca Perello a big fat kiss on the mouth. Knowing that it has been a while since the player won a big tournament, this moment must have been sweet for the couple.

Check out Rafael giving Xisca a sweet kiss after his victory against Gael Monfils.

Despite his success at this year’s Monte Carlo, Rafael Nadal still faces criticism. The crowd might have just witnessed the resurrection of King of Clay, but the critics are not yet completely sold on his comeback and his ability to win the most important clay-court tournament – Roland Garros.

“The Spaniard who has ruled for most of his career on the dirt, went for two and three-quarter hours before beating Frenchman Gael Monfils 7-5, 5-7, 6-0 in a morale-boosting victory of massive proportions,” reports Telegraph UK.

But many are noting the fact that Rafael Nadal got lucky with Novak Djokovic making an early exit and Roger Federer falling before the important games at this year’s Monte Carlo. The New York Times called Rafael Nadal vs. Gael Monfils “a sloppy performance“, hinting that the whole ordeal was rather anti climactic for the tennis fans.

The former world number one is choosing to savor this victory rather than to pay heed to the naysayers all around him.

“Winning nine times here is something unbelievable for me. Outside of that, that is something so special. Compete well two weeks in a row is something so positive,” Rafael said in a post-game interview, according to Telegraph UK.

“I’ve been a couple of time without winning big, big tournaments, I’m enjoying this moment. I’ve worked hard to have this trophy with me… It’s an emotional moment after some tough times. But that’s part of the life, is part of the sports in general.”

Seeing how he expressed gratitude towards his team, as well as his long-term girlfriend Xisca Perello, Rafa does know where his priorities lie in bringing his performance to his old-glory level.

“I’m very happy today. I hope and I believe that Indian Wells and this week – two tournaments in a row – I’ve been playing at a very high level, That’s so important, that’s what I needed.”

But there are still some worries that the Spanish player is completely freed from all the worries in the world. He seems to be constantly battling injuries and physical fatigues as he tries to regain his previous fame.

“My wrist was bothering me since Australia a little bit, so I did a treatment that day in Barcelona, no?” He said according to Tennis-X. “That’s why I had the tape on. But that’s it. The next morning the tape was not there anymore. Was recovered the thing that I did for the treatment. That’s it. I have been able to practice.”

He also comes in and out of doubts as he compares himself to those around him. When he spoke about the most dominant player in men’s tennis, Novak Djokovic, he admitted that he might have trouble beating the Serbian.

“Everybody wants to be in his position now,” Rafael said according to ESPN. “He’s going to be the favourite for every tournament until somebody shows something different. He’s the player of the moment without a doubt. Everyone sees him as the winner.”

The fact that he could overcome the smaller injuries to perform to the best of his abilities at Monte Carlo comes from the unwavering support he gets from his girlfriend Xisca Perello. While he prefers to keep his relationship private, during the most important parts of his life, he does not forget to bring her into the light.

[Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images]

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