"That in some way makes me feel free": Rafael Nadal reveals life plans after retirement from tennis

Former world number one Spain’s Rafael Nadal has opened up about his plans after retiring from the sport. The 38-year-old is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men’s tennis in the singles category, having won as many as 22 Grand Slam titles.

Nadal has been recently quoted in a report where he shared his post-retirement plans. "When I was a kid, I played almost every sport,” he said. “Of course, during my tennis career, I had to stop. I really believe that after my career I’m going to come back, recover all these years that I was not able to do all the things that I love to do. That in some way makes me feel free and happy.”

Nadal retired from professional tennis after the recently concluded Davis Cup. The 22-time Grand Slam winner was defeated in his last-ever professional tennis match against the Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-4. The legendary Spaniard struggled with injury concerns, especially towards the latter stages of his innings.

It was because of this that he ended up missing nearly the whole of the 2023 season. Nadal returned to the court in 2024 but struggled with both form and fitness. He ended up playing in just one Grand Slam in his last season — the French Open. In that competition, Nadal’s journey was cut short as he lost in the first round to reigning world number two Germany’s Alexander Zverev in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 7-6, 6-3. Nadal’s last major event appearance was at the Paris Olympics, where he played in the singles and doubles category but unfortunately failed to leave any impact. Nadal’s best appearance in 2024 came in an ATP 250 event in Basta,d where he finished as the runner-up after losing in the final to Portugal’s Nuno Borges.