Former world number one Rafael Nadal recently made a mark in a golf tournament. The 38-year-old, who was once regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men’s tennis in the singles category, has recently retired from professional tennis after participating in the Davis Cup.
Soon after retiring from professional tennis, Nadal turned his attention to professional golf and participated in a golf tournament in Mallorca. He ended up finishing in the top-10 of the FGB Hexagonal Golf Circuit. It is not the first time when Nadal has taken part in a golf tournament as he has done that previously as well.
The former world number one retired from professional tennis after struggling with fitness concerns, especially towards the latter stages of his career. He suffered a serious hip injury in 2023 which forced him to stay out action for nearly 12 months. He returned to the court earlier this year but failed to continue producing good results. He suffered an injury during the Brisbane International which once again forced him to stay out of action for a couple of months. He ended up missing three out of the four Grand Slams this year as well. His only participation in a mega-event in the 2024 season was at the French Open where he was knocked out after losing in the first round to current world number two Germany’s Alexander Zverev with a score of 6-3, 7-6, 6-3.
Talking at the time of retirement, Nadal admitted that his body does not allow him to compete at the highest level anymore. "It has been 20 years of a professional career in which you have carried me through the good times, and in the bad you pushed me to keep playing," said Nadal. "I want to congratulate the Netherlands and thank the whole Spanish team that is here, who have let me play the Davis Cup again, which has not gone as we all wanted. I have given everything I had The truth is that you never want to get to this point. I'm not tired of playing tennis but my body doesn't want to play anymore and you have to accept that. I feel super privileged, I've been able to make my hobby my profession for a long time."