Some of the best young ATP stars in the world will have the additional pressure of having Rafael Nadal watching them after the tennis legend confirmed he would attend the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Nadal is usually preparing for the new season or attempting to overcome an injury in December. However, his retirement at the Davis Cup Finals means those days are now behind him.

The tennis legend’s final match ended in a defeat to the Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp. Carlos Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers’ loss in the deciding doubles confirmed Team Spain’s exit and Nadal’s retirement.

The Six Kings Slam Exhibition was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in October and was Nadal’s penultimate tournament. Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, and Holger Rune were the other players who participated.

After losing to Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets, Nadal played the last match of his epic rivalry against Djokovic. That match also ended in defeat, but the 14-time French Open champion pushed Djokovic in the second set, which was decided by a tiebreak.

Two factors explain Nadal’s participation at the Six Kings Slam. The first was the financial incentives, with each of the six players receiving $1.5 million just for appearing at the exhibition.

Jannik Sinner won the largest paycheck in tennis history, $6,000,000, for winning the Six Kings Slam. The Italian only needed to win three matches to secure that incredible sum.

The second reason is Nadal’s position as a tennis ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation. He began that position in January of this year, undoubtedly for a massive financial reward.

That move by Nadal has caused significant controversy because of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record. Despite some improvements in women’s rights in recent years, women are still not equal, and homosexuality is criminalized.

Although Nadal acknowledges the criticism, the 38-year-old is adamant that his presence does more good than harm. Matteo Berrettini recently became an ambassador for Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund.

The WTA Finals were also held in Riyadh despite criticism of the move from former legends like Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. Coco Gauff defeated Qinwen Zheng in an epic final to secure the title.

This year’s Next Gen ATP Finals will occur from December 18th until December 22nd. Arthur Fils, Alex Michelsen, Jakub Mensik, Shang Juncheng, Learner Tien, Luca Van Assche, Nishesh Basavareddy, and Joao Fonseca.

That is an outstanding lineup, and the fans in Jeddah will undoubtedly be treated to great tennis. Fils and Mensik, in particular, have already had great results on the ATP Tour despite their young ages.

In a video released on Saudi Tennis’ social media pages, Nadal confirmed he would attend the Next Gen Finals, presumably as part of his role as an ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation. The 22-time Grand Slam champion’s presence could boost ticket sales.

“Hello, it’s Rafa here. Just one more week until the Next Gen Finals in Jeddah. Make sure you are ready to watch some of the best talents, especially young talents in the world. See you there.”