Nadal to Wong: ‘We are very proud of you’

Coleman Wong will not forget today any time soon.

The 20-year-old from Hong Kong earned a thrilling 7-6(3), 2-6, 7-6(5) against 13th seed Ben Shelton on Saturday to reach the third round of the Miami Open presented by Itau. Before September of last year he had never won an ATP Tour match and now he has a chance to make the fourth round of an ATP Masters 1000 tournament.

But his day became even more memorable when former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Rafael Nadal, congratulated him on social media.

“There is a lot of effort behind these victories. We are very proud of you, Coleman!” Nadal wrote. “A historic win for Hong Kong.”

There is a lot of effort behind these victories. We are very proud of you, Coleman! ☺️ A historic win for Hong Kong 👏🏻 https://t.co/3XtlJkiy0P

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) March 22, 2025

Wong has trained since age 17 at the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar in Spain. He has practised with the legendary lefty over the years and has cherished the relationship he has built with his idol.

“It’s insane. I trained with him a few times and I have a really good relationship with him. He always gives me tips when I see him in the academy,” Wong told ATPTour.com. “I’m a pretty emotional guy, so I’m really happy that he knows that I’m doing pretty well. Thank you. Thank you, Rafa.”

Wong will next play Adam Walton in the pair's first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting. They played last year at an ATP Challenger Tour event in Thailand, where Wong emerged victorious 6-4, 6-4.