Rafael Nadal reveals he and Grigor Dimitrov went fishing in Mallorca

Spain's Rafael Nadal says he and Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov may be rivals on the court but off the court they have a close relationship and that's bigger than tennis. 

On Monday, world No. 2 Rafael Nadal defeated 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion Dimitrov 7-5 6-3 in an exhibition match in Atlanta. 

It was the second time the two met in a span of three days as the Spaniard also handed a straight-set loss to the Bulgarian in the Acapulco semifinal this past Friday. 

"We have been in Mallorca together. We go out in the boat and catch some fishes. Tennis is not forever but the friendship is," Nadal said after the Atlanta exhibition, via Ricky Dimon. 

Nadal, 33, and 28-year-old Dimitrov have played against each other 14 times at the ATP level. 

19-time Grand Slam champion Nadal has been dominant against Dimitrov in their matches as he has been beaten by the Bulgarian only once. 

Former world No. 3 Dimitrov's lone win over Nadal at the China Open in 2016, when he beat the Spaniard to make the Beijing semifinal. 

Since then, Nadal has won six consecutive matches against Dimitrov at the ATP level.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2TBxdUo