How a record setting World tennis champion (who already has his own line of Richard Mille watches) celebrates his historic 10th French Open title and highly successful career was answered yesterday when it was announced in Hong Kong that Rafael Nadal had chosen Monte Carlo Yachts 76 as his personal yacht.

Rafael Nadal has a Favourite Yacht and it’s a Monte Carlo Yachts MCY 76

Harbouring (no pun intended) yachting dreams since childhood, the 16-times Grand Slam winner chose Italian Monte Carlo Yachts because the MCY 76 vessel ranks among some of the more iconic and distinctive boats of its class. Represented in most of Asia by Simpson Marine, the Monte Carlo Yachts 76 or MCY 76 is recognised for its timeless and refined style thanks to its recognisable profile, the high flared bow, unique details and large spaces and features that one would usually found on yachts much larger than the MCY 76 yet somehow innovatively engineered into the vessel by Monte Carlo Yachts.

Rafael Nadal was first introduced to his yacht-to-be at the prestigious Cannes Yachting Festival in September 2015, selecting it over hundreds of other yachts on display at the event. Like the tennis champion himself, the Monte Carlo Yachts MCY 76 is an award winner, having won seven prestigious awards in the yachting world, making it the most widely recognized yacht in its category. But what really won Rafael Nadal over was the ability to customise the yacht in all aspects from something as simple as fabrics to even layouts and configuration which distinguishes Monte Carlo Yachts from the other market offerings – in short, Nadal was truly creating a personal yacht like the ones he used to dream up in his childhood.

The MCY 76 was delivered in Spring 2016, giving Nadal the opportunity to put his brand new vessel through the paces along the best beaches the Mediterranean had to offer. The tennis champion was originally from the Balearics where he became intimately familiar with island environments like Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza or Cabrera; in that sense, one could surmise that Nadal had certain benchmark requirements for his personal yacht which the Monte Carlo Yachts MCY 76 met easily.

“The model that Rafael Nadal has chosen, the MCY 76, can be considered an icon of the yachting world. Since its debut, this yacht has made waves in the industry confirming Monte Carlo Yachts as a global pioneering of projects, always breaking new ground.” – Federico Peruccio, Marketing and Communications Manager of Monte Carlo Yachts.

Nadal selected deep Mediterranean blue as the hull colour for his dream yacht, a nod to his roots and favourite nautical surroundings. According to Federico Peruccio, Marketing and Communications Manager of Monte Carlo Yachts, Rafael Nadal’s MCY 76 is equipped with some personal customisations which make his personal yacht unique –  they include privacy features and interior comfort upgrades which make his MCY 76 a performance yacht that is a perfect match for one of the world’s greatest tennis players.

“I changed the main saloon a little bit, and opted to move the galley to the lower deck. I added an extra sofa at the back of the saloon in place of the standard dining table. With the doors open, it’s a great place to sit and you really feel in touch with the water. You only use an interior dining table in winter; in summer, you can eat on the aft deck, up on the flybridge or on the bow. [For] when we do want to eat inside, I had a removable table inserted. I spent a lot of time thinking about this solution, which also means we can swing the TV out and watch it from the aft cockpit. After dinner, if the weather is good, I like to stay outside and watch TV. I think this is perfect.” – Nadal, speaking to BOAT International

Known as the “King of Clay”, Nadal has achieved a record 10 titles at three different tournaments: French Open, Monte Carlo and Barcelona. He holds the record for most titles at 3 different levels, ATP500 (Barcelona: 10), Masters 1000 (Monte Carlo: 10), and Grand Slams (Roland Garros: 10).

Rafael Nadal’s new favorite yacht MCY 76 has itself achieved these awards:

• Asia Boating Award 2011 Best Production Motor Yacht 51’ to 80’
• Düsseldorf Boat Show 2011 European Powerboat of the Year
• London Boat Show 2011 Motor Boat of the Year
• Yacht & Sail – ADI Association of Industrial Design
• Genoa Boat Show 2010 Motor Boat of the Year
• Cannes Boat Show 2010 Best Design Trophy
• Cannes Boat Show 2010 Most Innovative Yacht Trophy

You can visit Simpson Marine at www.simpsonmarine.com. Alternatively, you can contact them at mcy@simpsonmarine.com.