This has been the AS 2025 Awards | An evening through which Rafael Nadal was acknowledged | Sports | EUROtoday

Rafael Nadal has been awarded the Leyenda Award on the nineteenth version of the AS Sports Awards 2025. The awards ceremony was held on the Palace Hotel in Madrid. Pilar Gil, govt director of the Prisa group, opened the occasion with a speech defending the athletes (similar to Carolina Marín, María Pérez or Iris Tió, current on the Palace Hotel) for example and reference for ladies.

In this primary 12 months with out Nadal on the courts, Grupo Prisa’s sports activities newspaper needed to pay tribute to him for his extraordinary profession. “I am very grateful for receiving this award. It is an honor to be here. A stage of my life is over, I think well finished, I don’t miss anything. I was prepared to enjoy other things because everything has a beginning and an end,” stated Rafa Nadal. “I am not very given to these awards. I have a good relationship with Federer and I am sure we will do something in these years. It is true that I need time to get back on a court. I think he would beat me now because he has been training for a while,” admitted the Spanish champion. “I love golf, but I played more as a tennis player than now. I have to find time for it,” Nadal admitted. Other nice athletes, similar to Pau Gasol or Jannik Sinner, appeared in a video to congratulate the nice Balearic tennis participant. Also artists like Aitana or Antonio Banderas had phrases of admiration and affection for Nadal.

“Nadal is the best athlete in the world,” stated Raúl, a kind of who additionally obtained awards for his sporting profession, similar to Jesús Navas, Carolina Martín or Fernando Torres. Very emblematic figures of Spanish sport.

In addition to Nadal, on this version the next have been acknowledged as AS Sports Awards 2025: this 12 months’s MotoGP champion, Marc Márquez, who has signed one of the spectacular comebacks after harm within the sport, not solely in his self-discipline; Spanish girls’s biking, after having achieved 4 medals on this planet championships in Rwanda and three within the European championships; María Pérez, the primary girl within the historical past of athletics to retain a double of world gold medals (Budapest 2023 and Tokyo 2025) in particular person occasions (20 and 35 km stroll), historical past of Spanish sport; and Iris Tió, winner of six medals on the world championships in Singapore, who has grow to be the primary Spanish world champion in free solo in inventive swimming.

“I thank Rafa Nadal for everything he has given us,” stated Jesús Navas. “I went through a lot of nerves with the derby. I suffered, but little by little I hope that Sevilla will move forward,” Navas added. “I hope we repeat the World Cup title next summer,” concluded the previous Sevilla participant, who retired from enjoying soccer only a 12 months in the past in a match in opposition to Madrid.

“We are recovering from another injury, we still have one left. This year has been unique in every way. I left my comfort zone and was able to win,” admitted champion Marc Márquez when gathering his prize.

The 2025 Promise Award was awarded to Ander Garaiar, who received the primary males’s 100 meters medal in a serious worldwide championship of any class. And the AS Paralympic Sports Award 2025 acknowledged tennis participant Martín de la Puente, who has been topped Wimbledon champion in doubles this 12 months.