Rafael Nadal’s tennis career is over, but that did not stop the 14-time French Open champion from thriving in a separate sport.
Nadal’s legendary career ended at the Davis Cup Finals after Team Spain lost in the quarterfinals to the Netherlands. He also lost his final singles match before retirement against Botic van de Zandschulp.
There was much emotion during Nadal’s retirement ceremony, which included tributes from various sports stars and the 38-year-old saying he hopes to be remembered as a good person rather than just for winning several titles.
Despite the emotions elicited during the ceremony, many pivotal figures in Nadal’s life have expressed disappointment with it. His uncle Toni called it a disappointment, and long-time coach Carlos Moya bluntly referred to it as shabby.
It is unknown whether Nadal felt similar disdain for the ceremony. The 22-time Grand Slam winner’s humble nature means he is not the type to criticize the Davis Cup Finals organizers publicly.
Doing that would have been especially awkward for Nadal since his long-time friend Feliciano Lopez, who recently revealed something about Nadal people may not know, was the tournament director for this year’s Davis Cup Finals.
Rather than doing several interviews and trying to stay in the spotlight for as long as possible, Nadal has returned to his life outside of professional tennis. He can still make a significant difference due to being a worldwide figure.
One area that Nadal can now devote more time to is his academy. The founder’s time and resources might be particularly important after its facilities were damaged during adverse weather that struck Spain.
Players at the highly successful academy, where Casper Ruud used to train, would undoubtedly benefit from Nadal’s presence more often, but he also represents the academy at other events.
The most recent example came at the FGB Hexagonal Golf Circuit on Saturday, with Nadal officially playing at the tournament on behalf of his prestigious academy.
Nadal seemed poised to claim glory for himself and the academy when he raced into first place after a series of birdies in the early stages of the tournament, which featured 76 players.
However, the former ATP No. 1 could not sustain that level and ultimately finished in eighth. That is still an impressive achievement and shows Nadal’s golfing abilities. The Spaniard could get even better if he devotes significant time to it in retirement.
Nadal spoke about why he enjoys golf so much in a 2012 interview with the Miami Herald, saying that events are always held in beautiful places and the risk of injury is very low.
“I love the game of golf in general. I was watching all the afternoon the last round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational… Golf is great, because you are always in beautiful places when you are playing, and the risk for injury, as you know, is very small.”
A low chance of becoming injured appeals to Nadal more than most after the tennis legend’s numerous physical problems throughout the course of his career.
