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."