MÁLAGA (Spain) – What now, Rafael Nadal? The coincidence is general, even in the ‘Nadal clan’: the farewell to tennis was a failed event, from the place, day and time to the format, through a video that seemed edited in 1984. But it is the end, although after the end there are new things to come.
‘There will be more and better farewells’. The phrase comes from Nadal’s entourage, and does not point to a reversal in the decision: no, Nadal will not return to compete professionally, but he will continue to compete. How?
That is something that remains to be defined, but what is being discussed in Mallorca.
The idea of Nadal trying professional golf, with many more arguments and sporting support than Ivan Lendl had in his brief stint in the sport in the 90s, is today a fanciful hypothesis..
Competing is imperative for Nadal. Three days after retiring, the former tennis player appeared on the Son Servera golf course in Mallorca to play in a golf tournament: he was eighth in the Handicap category, with 76 strokes, four over par. Nadal played as a member of the ‘Rafa Nadal Academy’ team, which finished fourth overall, according to the Spanish media ‘Relevo’ based on the Mallorcan newspaper ‘Última Hora’.
The Nadal’s did not like the way he said goodbye, and so do his main sponsors: such a sporting legend deserves better.
So one thing is clear: Nadal will not be like so many players who, once retired, look at the racket with aversion and walk away from tennis. No, in 2025 Nadal will play again, although he will do so as a former professional tennis player. But Nadal will play again
