“That’s what will be the ideal thing for me”: Rafael Nadal expresses desire to continue playing for his son

Spain’s legendary tennis star Rafael Nadal has revealed that he would’ve liked to play longer to give his son memory of watching him play live. The 37-year-old is often regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men’s tennis in the Open era, having won as many as 22 Grand Slam titles.

Nadal has struggled with fitness concerns and it was because of this reason, he ended up missing three out of four Grand Slams back in 2023. The former world number one returned to action earlier this year but once again suffered another niggle during the Brisbane International which ruled him out of action for a few months as he missed the Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami Open and Monte-Carlo Masters.

Nadal, who is often regarded as the ‘King of Clay’ after having won as many as 14 Grand Slams while playing at the Roland Garros, was recently quoted in a report where he stated that he would’ve liked to play longer to give his son memory of watching him live in action but will not be able to do so.

"I would love to play a little bit longer and give him [Rafa Jr.] a memory of myself playing tennis,” he said. “That’s what will be the ideal thing for me and for my wife and family. But I can’t, probably I will not be able to make that happen. But at least, I mean, happy to have a great team and family and friends around me almost all my life. It helped me in every single way of being happy."