Rafael Nadal of Spain hits a return during his men's singles tennis match against Nick Kyrgios of Australia at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, in London July 1, 2014.
Rafael Nadal of Spain hits a return during his men's singles tennis match against Nick Kyrgios of Australia at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, in London July 1, 2014. REUTERS

Rafael Nadal remains the most popular and admired Spanish personality for the fourth consecutive time, besting Chicago Bulls power forward Pau Gasol and actor-director Paco Leon for the plum.

Nadal, who captured a record-setting ninth French Open crown earlier this year to add his Grand Slam tally to 14 Grand Slams, regained the title as Spain's most revered personality by garnering the largest votes in a survey conducted by Personality Media.

"Rafael Nadal is the best known and best rated Spanish for the fourth time since 2010, according to a survey of 40,000 consumers Media Personality that analyzes, commercial, advertising picture preferences and consumption of the population," El Mundo stated in its report.

"Nadal still the most valued with a score of 8.1, distancing midpoint over the second-placed athlete also recently signed by Chicago Bulls, Pau Gasol (7.5)."

Actor and director Paco León, who has the highest approval vote from women's category, landed in third place, while Barcelona football stars Andres Iniesta, Spain's national coach Vicente Del Bosque and Carles Puyol also made it in the top-10.

"Also included in the top ten are footballer Andrés Iniesta and national coach Vicente del Bosque. The FC Barcelona player is fifth, while Del Bosque appears in the sixth. Both characters, related to the world of football, reduce their scores due to failure in the World Championships in Brazil," the publication stated.

But biggest casualty is no other than Real Madrid goal keeper Iker Casillas, who did not make it in the list for the first time since 2008.

Many believed his non-inclusion from the prestigious circle stemmed from his lackluster performance at the 2014 World Cup, where he conceded five goals to Netherlands and two more against Chile, sending Spain crashing out as early as the group stages.

Being hailed as Spain's most popular personality was just one of his several awards he received as of late. Last week, Nadal was awarded the best male tennis player after a sensational 2013 season, which saw him winning 10 tournaments - including the French and US Open championship.

Heading into the US hard-court season, Nadal remains one of the favorites to conquer Flushing Meadows despite his hiccups at the Wimbledon Open. The 28-year old Nadal will attempt to win his second US Open title and the first since 2010.

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