PARIS – The idea sounds crazy, but on the same day that Rafael Nadal said goodbye to Roland Garros and tennis for good, the Spaniard himself raised the possibility of a new Rafael Nadal on the tour.
“If my son leaves his tennis career as I did, yes,” Nadal surprised everyone after an emotional afternoon in which Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray joined a party that at times gave everyone goosebumps.
Rafa Nadal Jr. aún no lo sabe, pero acaba de vivir uno de los momentos más espectaculares posibles en la historia del tenis y del deporte ❤️pic.twitter.com/Omg2KuPQa9
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’I never felt that I made many sacrifices, that I lost a part of my life to be a professional. When you do what you want to do, you don’t make sacrifices. You work hard, of course, but you do what you want to do,‘ Nadal explained, venturing into almost philosophical territory.
Would you like to have a son who is a tennis player? The answer was yes. ’If my son feels that way, I will support him. I don’t think that will be the case, but I will support him in whatever he wants to do.”
The answer was doubly striking because Nadal said it shortly after carrying his two-and-a-half-year-old son around the Philippe Chatrier stadium, where he has won Roland Garros 14 times. Rafael Nadal Perelló, the son he had with María Francisca, his girlfriend (now wife) for two decades, has been seen playing with children’s rackets and tennis balls. Not to mention that his wife is pregnant again… a new Nadal for Roland Garros 2040?
By then, Nadal senior will be 54 years old and well established in the business world, which is now his challenge. And he will surely continue to play golf, although this Sunday he also revealed an unthinkable side to his personality: once he retired, he lost something very valuable and essential for months. And also, in a way, his memory.
“When I retired, I lost all my competitive spirit for a few months. I played golf and didn’t care about winning, losing, or playing well or badly. It was a strange feeling for me, and it wasn’t fun.‘
Journalists from all over the world listened to him, fascinated and speechless: a Nadal who didn’t care about winning or losing?
This image is way too powerful, Rafael Nadal. pic.twitter.com/MpnDn7yX4u
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After playing with the suspense for a few more moments, the former world number one concluded the surprising story: ’But that’s over now, I’m competitive again in golf, but in a more enjoyable way. And in terms of business, I’ll probably have the motivation to make it grow and learn.”
A box of surprises, Rafael Nadal left in Roland Garros another little story to amaze after the ceremony: for much of his career, his head worked like a computer that remembered everything. First-round opponents in tournaments ten or 15 years earlier, break points in Grand Slam semi-finals… But in recent years, that has changed.
‘I was the kind of player who remembered every match, but I lost that privilege a few years ago. I used to remember everything. Now I don’t.’
