“I’ve already prepared my future” – Nadal reveals post-retirement goal to promote tennis among youth
“I want to enjoy the family, friends… but I understand that in this life, it’s important to have motivations, to have goals”
Zuma / Panoramic
It isn’t a complete goodbye from Rafael Nadal to tennis as the Spaniard has set new goals for himself in order to continue making meaningful contribution to the racquet sport.
Nadal’s association with tennis began at the age of three, when his uncle Toni handed him a racquet. Professionally, his journey began in 2001 and concluded in November 2024 with a glowingly decorated trophy cabinet boasting of 22 Grand Slam titles among numerous other awards.
At 38 and retired, however, the Spaniard’s love affair with the sport is far from over as he marches on to promote it among the youth, especially in the Saudi Arabia.
My goal and my motivation is to bring tennis to the new generation.”
“As a tennis ambassador, we have the obligation to promote our sport around the world,” he told The National recently. “This [Saudi Arabia] is a region that is opening to the world in recent years, so my goal and my motivation is to bring tennis to the new generation, is to bring the message that being in the world of sport, you’re going to grow with positive values. You’re going to learn a lot about how to be prepared for your future life, because I think sport is a very important learning in all ways.
“I don’t understand my life without having goals. Of course, I want to enjoy the family, friends, and it’s true that I worked a lot since I was a very very young kid. So, I want my time to enjoy life but I understand that in this life, it’s important to have motivations, to have goals, and that’s why I’ve already prepared my future now.”
In an exclusive interview with The National, all-time tennis great Rafael Nadal discusses his vision as an ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation to help promote the sport in the region and beyond.@NatSportUAE @ReemAbulleil pic.twitter.com/52xT2NPOfh
— The National (@TheNationalNews) December 26, 2024
Nadal, an ambassador for Saudi Tennis Federation, has already taken his first steps to fulfill the promise he has made.
He visited the Next Gen ATP Finals stars, including Jakub Mensik, Alex Michelsen, and eventual champion Joao Fonseca, in Jeddah a few days ago and talked at length about tennis, also imparting some of his wisdom to the youngsters.
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