World number one Rafael Nadal has declared that he is "heartbroken" by the civil unrest that has broken out in his homeland over the last week.
Ugly scenes played out in front of cameras on Sunday as police clashed with Catalan citizens attempting to vote in a referendum on the issue of their independence from Spain.
The Spanish government had previously declared the referendum illegal and police used physical force in an attempt to stop Catalans from voting. The issue has been deeply divisive throughout Spain at large, while on the international stage, the government has been criticised for describing the police's actions as "proportionate".
"I personally feel like crying when I see that, in a country where we have known how to live together and be a good example around the world," Nadal told reporters.
"The situation that we saw on Sunday - I think that the image [of Spain] we have transmitted is very negative. To see the society in general, not only the Catalans, so radicalised, I am surprised and disappointed.
"The only way is to speak, talk between the parties in conflict and try to reach agreement. In the end, we will be living together for the rest of our lives.
"It is not the moment to look for guilty, although there are. There have been people who wanted to manipulate information, which has generated a chaos that should not happen in the century that we live in. I'm heartbroken."
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique, an outspoken supporter of Catalan independence, has been subjected to abuse from fans while training with the Spain national team this week.
Neil Wilkes
