“Being Davis Cup captain one day? why not?”: Rafael Nadal opens door to future role

The 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal recently answered an interview with Diario AS, in which he referred to the possibility of becoming a coach in the future. The Spaniard acknowledged that it is not in his immediate plans, but that with time things can change... and that he believes a role as Davis Cup captain is more probable than being a coach of a player on the Tour.

The former world No. 1 recently received the AS Legend award from the Spanish sports newspaper, in which his impeccable career and commitment to sport in his country were recognized.

The 14-time Roland Garros champion commented that it does not cross his mind to return to the courts since he made the decision to retire: "Luckily, that stage is totally closed and well closed," commented the Spaniard.

Nadal was recently training at his academy, although far from feeling at a competitive level. "I have trained a couple of times with girls from the Academy, with Alina (Korneeva) and with Alex (Eala), purely as sparring, honestly. With no intention beyond having a good time hitting the ball, supporting them, and letting them enjoy it. That is how it has been and that is how I take it: without interest or expectation of anything."

Since his retirement, Nadal has had appearances at various tennis events—such as the recent Next Gen ATP Finals or the tribute he received at Roland Garros, in addition to balancing some time with family.

Although there has not been too much time for pauses, for many the question arises of what will be the next step Nadal will take—now as a retired player. Regarding assuming a potential role as a coach, the former No. 1 denies it for the moment, although he recognizes that nothing is ruled out. "I have always had maximum respect for what might happen in the future, because what one feels today is not what one will feel in a while," commented the 39-year-old former tennis player. "Life changes, and even more so when you have small children: you see life one way, a few years pass, and it changes."

"Traveling continuously? I don't see it. Being a coach would imply that, and right now it doesn't fit with my life. Being Davis Cup captain one day? Why not? I could have fun... or not. I just retired; it is very premature to think about it. I respect vital processes and adaptation. Right now, it is not appropriate to think about that."

Another of the topics Nadal touched upon was the growing rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, absolute dominators of the Tour since his retirement from the courts a year ago, and who seem called to lead for several more years, after having shared the last 8 Grand Slams between them, also disputing three major finals and the ATP Finals this season.

They asked Nadal if he sees play patterns similar to his, but he opined that he does not recognize himself in the style of either of them. "I don't identify with either. They are different players from what I was," Nadal assured. "I think Carlos is more random: he makes more mistakes, he makes more spectacular points, sometimes he doesn't have such a defined game pattern, which makes him unpredictable and fun for the spectator. Jannik is a more methodical, focused player, with a more defined game pattern and who adds things little by little, that's why he is so solid and loses very few matches."

"Sometimes it seems that Carlos is more scattered, but when you see the results... he has had an incredibly regular and solid year in all the important tournaments. That's why it's funny to me when I hear that he is scattered: the results say the opposite, that is my point of view."