Gerard Pique and his wife, the singer Shakira, are unlikely to attend the wedding between Rafael Nadal and his longtime girlfriend Maria Francisca Perello. Pique and Nadal have a close relationship although the 19-time Grand Slam winner is an FC Real Madrid fan and Pique plays for Barcelona.

Rafa is also the main player with Novak Djokovic committed to play the Davis Cup finals next month. Also, Nadal featured in Shakira’s ‘Gipsy’ video song. King Juan Carlos is set to attend Nadal’s wedding, they usually have dinner together after the 33-year-old’s French Open titles in Paris.

Queen Sofia is instead unlikely to attend the wedding because of other commitments. The Spanish player Feliciano López, who recently got married to Sandra Gago, Fernando Verdasco, married to Ana Boyer, the basketball star Pau Gasol and the singer Enrique Iglesias – who are both members of Tatel Restaurant brand with Nadal – will all be there on what is probably Rafael’s most special day in his private life.

The Vienna’s Erste Bank Open Tournament Director Herwig Straka spoke about Dominic Thiem: “He plays on Tuesday and there are still tickets left. If Federer and Nadal played, it would be sold out. If he became a top-three player, it would have been sold out.

The top three are likely. Who knows if the number one is possible too, he has the potential, the shots, the personality and the mental strength. But he is improving. In Beijing he showed to be able to deliver some big tactics”, said Straka.

He also admitted that winning the China Open made Thiem’s popularity get bigger in Asia. “Fans are younger, Dominic is more popular there than he is in the United States.” Straka also complained that Thiem was not named as the Austrian athlete of the year as the skier Marcel Hirscher prevailed. “Credit to him, but Dominic has bigger popularity around the world.”

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