Rory McIlroy added another chapter to his impressive career at the 2026 Masters, becoming only the fourth player to win consecutive titles at Augusta National.
The Northern Irishman, now 36, joins an elite group of players to have done so: Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo.
Nadal has long held a passion for golf and is no stranger to admiring McIlroy’s game. The Spaniard has been open about his admiration for the golfer and kept in touch with him throughout the tournament.
Rory McIlroy reveals Rafael Nadal was sending him messages during The Masters
During the Laureus awards, where he picked up the comeback of the year honour, McIlroy spoke about Nadal’s support during The Masters.
“To have his support… he’d leave me little voice notes at the end of every day and it’s really cool when you have one of the absolute legends of sport cheering you on like that.
“And him knowing what it feels like to be in that position – that’s really cool.”
Asked if he has had the chance to play golf with world number two Carlos Alcaraz yet, McIlroy said: Not yet.
“I got to meet him at the U.S. Open last year and I know he’s really loving his golf and playing quite a lot. I think he plays any day he has off during a tournament, so hopefully one day we’ll get a round in.”
Nadal is another big tennis name who loves to play golf away from his main sport. He even said a few years ago that if it wasn’t for injuries, he could have played professionally.
Away from playing, Nadal now runs an academy in Spain where promising young players go to hone their craft before entering major tours.
McIlroy explains the differences between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
McIlroy continued: “I’ve always loved tennis. There are so many similarities between golf and tennis, individual sports.
“You’re really out there on your own. You have to figure it out by yourself. And I think both games mentally are very, very taxing and challenging in their own ways. Rafa and Roger have now retired.
“Novak is not retired, but certainly getting to the latter stages of his career. And we were all wondering, ‘who is next?’
“And then you have these two guys in Carlos and Jannik that have come along and are just playing some of the most incredible tennis.
“What makes this rivalry so special is they have very different styles. Carlos plays with emotion, with his heart on his sleeve.
“And Jannik is just like an absolute robot, doesn’t make a mistake, is unbelievable to watch hit the ball, and I think the contrast in styles … as a tennis fan it makes me really excited for the next few years to be able to watch them battle it out.”
This was the second time that Sinner defeated Alcaraz on clay in three meetings between 2025-26.
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