Rafael Nadal Undergoes Successful Laparoscopic Appendectomy, Posts Pictures After The Surgery

Rafael Nadal underwent successful appendectomy on Nov. 3 in Barcelona. The World No. 3 has played through appendicitis for much of October before he eventually pulled out of the last two tournaments on tour to have surgery. Nadal has shared pictures for his social media followers before and after his operation.

"Thanks for all your support, on my way to the operation room for a small surgery," Nadal posted on Facebook. "Everything went great, thank you very much for your support, big hug," Nadal wrote an hour later. Fans immediately posted their messages of support to Nadal after the operation.

Nadal's spokesperson told the Associated Press that the tennis great will remain in the hospital for two more days based on his progress, but it is anticipated that he will have a little chat with the media when he leaves the hospital. The laparoscopic appendectomy was reportedly done at the Teknon Medical Center, one of the leading hospitals in Barcelona, spearheaded by Dr. Jose Maria Segura Movellan and his team under the supervision of Royal Spanish Tennis Federation physican Dr. Angel Ruiz-Cotorro.

Nadal has previously said that he intends to participate in the Mubadala Tennis Championships in January, where Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, and Stanislas Wawrinka are slated to play. Nadal has said that he is optimistic that he will be 100 percent fit in five to six weeks after the surgery, just in time for the tournament.

Nadal started feeling ill a few days before the Shanghai Rolex Masters. Despite being diagnosed with appendicitis, Nadal chose to play in the tournament. He lost his opening match against fellow compatriot Feliciano Lopez, 6-3, 7-6 (6), in Shanghai. Nadal last played in the Swiss Indoors Basel, but suffered a quarterfinals defeat to teenager Borna Coric, who upset the Spaniard in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, on October 23.

Nadal pulled out of the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris and the World Tour Finals in London to give way for his surgery. He also withdrew from a poker's tournament with Brazilian legend Ronaldo so he can attend to his health.