Rafael Nadal last played professionally at the 2024 Davis Cup and the send off he got was frowned upon by the Tennis world.
Rafael Nadal (Image via ATP/X)
The history of the French Open cannot be complete without Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard, who defied the odds after being born with a degenerative foot condition and plagued by chronic pain, made innumerable records at the Roland Garros court. The FFT president has announced that the Grand Slam tournament will give Nadal a befitting tribute ceremony at this year’s edition of the event.
Nadal’s illustrious career came to an end last year at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga. The Spaniard played his final match against Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp, in which he lost in straight set. The Spanish team ended up losing to the Dutch side in 2-1 aggregate. After that, Nadal was given a send-off ceremony by the tournament organizers.
However, the ceremony wasn’t up to the level many expected. Nadal’s uncle, Toni Nadal, and his coach, Carlos Moya, slammed the organizers for not giving the 38-year-old a befitting send-off. The Roland Garros is now set to give Nadal, who won 92 career titles, including 22 Grand Slams, the send-off tribute he deserves.
The FFT president Gilles Moretton recently revealed that Nadal would receive a special ceremony during the Roland Garros this year and that he might become an ambassador of the tournament.
There will necessarily be something for Rafael Nadal, a real tribute, very important. We are attached to it. The [Davis Cup] tribute was not really the one that we had to pay him. We went to see him at home, at the beginning of December, with Amélie Mauresmo to talk to him about this tribute that we will organize for him, and talked to him about the future. We will give the outlines in some time of this role of ambassador that he can hold with us. The two ‘brands’, Rafael Nadal and Roland-Garros, are one. So yes, we are considering things with him.
Gilles Moretton said via Europe 1
Nadal last won the Roland Garros in 2022 when he defeated Casper Ruud. He was recently awarded the best-ever athlete in Spanish history by Mundo Deportivo in honor of his achievements on the court.
Rafael Nadal sells stake of his eponymous tennis academy
Since Rafael Nadal retired from professional tennis, he has focused his attention on his family and business. Recently, he expanded his business ventures by selling part of his stake in his eponymous tennis academy. The Rafael Nadal Academy, which was established in 2016, has since undergone expansion and has become one of Spain’s largest sporting hub.
The Rafael Nadal Academy now operates facilities in Cancun, Kuwait, and Greece, which are being managed by his mother, Ana Maria. According to reports, Nadal sold nearly half his stake in the academy, which is 44.9% to a private investment firm named GPF Capital. The stake was worth 95 million Euros.
There’s no report as to the reason why Nadal sold his stake, but last year’s extreme weather conditions in Valencia and the Balearic Island resulted in extensive damage to the Academy’s facilities. The damage led to millions of Euros in repairs and acquired some new facilities.
The Academy has also become renowned for producing some of the best young players in tennis. It has also seen several top players like Casper Ruud and Carlos Alcaraz use its facilities to train ahead of tournaments.
