Rafael Nadal retired at the Davis Cup Finals (Image: Getty)

Three months after saying farewell at the Davis Cup, Rafael Nadal has been getting candid about life in retirement.

The 38-year-old recently admitted he hadn’t touched a racket since hanging his up but said he had found joy in playing another sport.

After rediscovering his love for football, Nadal could take things up a notch by landing a job at Real Madrid.

Nadal is an avid supporter of Real Madrid. There are plenty of stories from his days on the tennis tour about the lengths he would go to watch their games in different time zones, even visiting sports bars during Grand Slam tournaments.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion has been spotted at some of their most important matches, including the 2022 Champions League final, and the club has always shown its appreciation for Nadal.

When he announced his retirement last year, Real Madrid even released a ‘Comunicado Oficial’ about the end of Nadal’s tennis career. So it’s no surprise that the former No. 1 has long been tipped to take on a prominent role at the club.

After his retirement at the Davis Cup Finals, Nadal’s uncle and former coach, Toni admitted a job at Real Madrid would be the perfect next step.

Rafael Nadal has been tipped to take a job at Real Madrid (Image: Getty)

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“I imagine that if he is offered the position of director of Madrid, he would be delighted,” the Mallorcan tennis coach told El Larguero.

“I haven’t said president. I think it’s because he is such a big fan of Real Madrid. I have experienced it with him in New York and Australia, in very important tournaments, getting up and making us get up in the early hours of the morning to go and watch the Madrid match.”

In 2023, while he was sidelined following an arthroscopic hip surgery, Nadal shared his desire to succeed Florentino Perez as president of his beloved football club.

He told Movistar: “I think I’d like to. But there are a lot of things. Right now, there’s nothing to say because we have the best possible president.”

However, Nadal wasn’t sure whether he could meet the criteria. For Real Madrid presidency, you must be a Spanish national, have been a member for 20 years and obtain a bank guarantee worth at least 15 per cent of the club’s budget.

“What I think today, I might not think tomorrow. There are lots of twists and turns in life. You have to know if you’re qualified to do this kind of thing,” he added.

“I’m quite realistic. I know my limitations. I don’t know if I’d be capable or not. Time will tell. I haven’t asked [Perez] about it. I think you [the media] get carried away. I don’t think I fulfil the requirements.”

For now, Nadal is busy with some other retirement projects. He recently sold a 44.9 per cent share of his Rafa Nadal Academy, making £70million in profit.

The Olympic champion also signed on to become a Saudi tennis ambassador last year. As part of his role, he was spotted at the Next Gen Finals in December.