Rafael Nadal spent time on skis this week for the first time in 26 years, sharing a winter outing with his wife Maria Francisca Perello and their 3-year-old son, Rafa Jr., at Baqueira Beret in the Catalan Pyrenees. The player behind the tennis academy that bears his name in Mallorca said the experience felt special after decades focused on managing an injury-prone body in his career. Nadal called it an “incredible feeling” to ski for the first time since his early teens.

During the trip he took a lesson guiding his eldest son and paused to build a snowman. An adorable video posted by Nadal showed little Rafa Jr. appearing at ease on the slopes, though Nadal indicated he would prefer professional guidance and invited suggestions on social media. “We’re still learning … any advice for us?” he asked, tagging American Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn.

Vonn replied, “We have to ski together when I’m healthy!” Vonn, 41, suffered a complex fracture of her tibia after a crash at the recently-concluded Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics and required three surgeries to correct the injury.

Nadal, 39, played the final match of his tennis career at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals after seasons affected by foot and hip injuries, the hip issue requiring surgery. He also underwent surgery in January for severe osteoarthritis in his right hand. Since stepping away from professional competition he has remained active, including time on the golf course with longtime rival Roger Federer and a practice session with academy alumna Alexandra Eala.

Although the academy carries his name, Nadal has been noncommittal about coaching future champions on the court. For now, his winter trip made clear that other sports, and sharing those moments with his family, have an important place in his life after competitive tennis.

Taylor Townsend reached a milestone in Austin, advancing to the first WTA singles semifinal of her career after a determined three-set comeback. Facing Rebeka Masarova in the quarterfinals of the WTA 250 hard-court event, Townsend recovered from a 5-7 first set to prevail 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.

The match began with Townsend racing to a 5-2 lead, only for Masarova, the 6’1″ Swiss, to reel off five games and claim the opening set. Townsend regrouped and did not lose serve again over the remainder of the encounter. She fought off all five break points she faced across the second and third sets and broke Masarova twice in each of those sets to turn the match in her favor. The contest lasted two hours and 20 minutes.

After the win, Townsend embraced her four-year-old son, Adyn, who had been watching from the stands.

Townsend’s singles breakthrough comes after two prior WTA quarterfinal appearances, both ending in tight two-set losses: Toronto in 2024 to Emma Navarro and Washington D.C. in 2025 to Leylah Fernandez. Those results had left the American searching for a deeper run; in Austin she delivered the first tour-level semifinal of her singles career.

Her doubles record remains extensive. Townsend has 11 career WTA doubles titles, including two Grand Slam victories at Wimbledon in 2024 and the Australian Open in 2025. She also claimed two WTA 1000 doubles titles, Cincinnati in 2023 and Dubai in 2025. Last summer she rose to No. 1 in the WTA doubles rankings, becoming the first mom to reach the top spot in WTA doubles history.

Across her doubles career Townsend has reached the semifinal stage or better 31 times at tour-level events: 11 titles, eight additional finals and 12 further semifinals. That total includes reaching the doubles semifinals in Austin this week alongside Storm Hunter.

Now, in addition to that doubles pedigree, Townsend has added a new achievement — her first tour-level singles semifinal — a clear personal landmark in 2026.

“0 my friend. Dubai is pending.”

Those words from Jessica Pegula came after a social media post highlighted her steady results as she reached a seventh consecutive semifinal dating back to the 2025 US Open earlier this week. The Buffalo, N.Y. native had acknowledged the run had not produced the trophy she wanted. That changed on Saturday in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships final.

After surviving two earlier matches that went the distance, Pegula produced a clearer performance in the title match, beating seventh-seeded Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-4 in 63 minutes. The world No. 5 dropped serve only once and claimed 73 percent of her points at the line to close out the victory.

“It’s a great birthday present for me. Just super happy to go home with a trophy,” she said during the trophy presentation.

Pegula, 31, who turns 32 on Tuesday, now has 10 career WTA titles. Four of those titles are at the WTA 1000 level, and this was her first 1000-level win away from North American hard courts. The 31-year-old has won 13 of 15 matches to open her 2026 season and remains on Coco Gauff’s heels to be the No. 1-ranked American.

Svitolina, seeded seventh in the event, likewise arrived at Dubai with strong form. She departs the tournament with a 15-3 start to the year that included a title in Auckland and three subsequent Top 10 victories.

“Unfortunately didn’t find the ways to put her off balance. I think she played a wonderful match,” the Ukrainian said in press. “She was striking the ball perfect. Played really solid match. ]

© 2026 Robert Prange