Rafael Nadal honoured again in Spain: "I haven't picked up a racket yet"
ATP
In an emotional event at the headquarters of the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE), Rafael Nadal was honoured for his career and legacy as an athlete. Surrounded by athletes from various disciplines and generations, the Spaniard was recognised as the greatest Spanish athlete of all time.
Alejandro Blanco, COE president and host of the event, praised Nadal’s achievements and proposed that he become a member of the Olympic Committee—an idea the former world No. 1 left open for the future.
A new chapter in his life
Nadal retired towards the end of 2024, with his final appearance coming in the Davis Cup, where he represented Spain alongside Carlos Alcaraz and others. However, the team was eliminated in the quarter-finals. The 38-year-old former player has always been a loyal representative of Spain, winning Olympic gold in singles at Beijing 2008 and another gold in doubles with Marc López at Rio 2016.
Little has been publicly known about Nadal in recent months. He made an appearance at the Next Gen ATP Finals and has shared videos on social media playing golf or tennis. He has also congratulated several recent champions, including Jannik Sinner and Madison Keys, for their Australian Open titles. This time, Nadal opened up about how he has been adjusting to life off the tour.
"My life is going well. I'm fine, adapting to a new stage. They’re not letting me get bored. I'm keeping myself busy, which is what you need to do. In life, you have to set goals; otherwise, you end up getting bored," Nadal said about his current life away from the professional circuit.
While the 22-time Grand Slam champion remains closely tied to the world of sports, he admitted he hasn't played tennis since his temporary retirement. "I haven't picked up a racket yet. It takes time. When I stopped playing, I was struggling with my foot, and that made me put it aside. But I’ll be back," he revealed.
The Mallorcan did not rule out a potential role within the COE or a new position in the sporting world. "I'm a huge sports fan. Before I was an athlete, I was a sports enthusiast,” he added. “My life will always be linked to sports because it's fundamental to me. In what way? I don't know yet. I've just finished my career. There’s another life after sports, and I want to find new motivations."
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mandoist11-02-2025 - Hard to believe Emma "understands" all that much about the rigors of a prioritized Life in tennis.mandoist11-02-2025
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- It sounds seriously absurd that in Davis Cup, (unlike Grand Slams such as the Aus Open), medical time outs off court with the medical staff are not allowed?? I mean, if this was an Aus Open match, and the same thing happened to Gurin then, he would have been able to go off court for official medical time out and make an informed decision whether to resume the match or retire. How come such conditions do not apply in Davis Cup?? I mean, there with Davis Cup, it is even more like a soccer match or basketball game in that teams are playing. And so as with those, it ought to be the case in tennis that if a player needs serious medical time out, then one of the other team mates ought to substitute and each team needs to have stand-ins or understudies in case substitution is needed which will be rare but as we can see here, this kind of circumstance fits. But even if the teams do not go down the road of subbing other team mates in, in case of a health issue like the one which played out here, at least, as in the Aus Open and other Grand Slams, there ought to be time-outs with the health professionals and at the conclusion of these time-outs, the particular decision that has been reached between them and the player needs to be taken on board by the umpire. PERIOD.
Sueiyin04-02-2025
