Rafael Nadal candidly addresses criticism of his Saudi Arabia role: ‘I don’t care that much if I achieve my goal’
Rafael Nadal has openly discussed the backlash he has faced for his partnership with Saudi Arabia and explained why he does not care much about the criticism.
In January, the Saudi Tennis Federation announced that Nadal had become a tennis ambassador for the Middle Eastern nation. According to reports, the deal was worth a staggering $750million (£598.6m).
The Spanish legend came under fire for the move as Saudi Arabia has been accused of trying to improve its image and overshadow its human rights record by investing huge money in sport.
After accepting the role, Nadal said: “It’s a big opportunity to develop the sport in a country which is investing a lot in sport and encouraging younger generations to get into tennis.”
Nadal will also open an academy in Saudi Arabia to add to his tennis centres in Spain (Mallorca), Mexico, Greece, Kuwait, Hong Kong and Egypt.
In October, Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune competed at the Six Kings Slam exhibition event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital.
Each player received a participation fee of $1.5 million, while Sinner was awarded with an astonishing $6 million cheque for winning the tournament.
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Nadal, who called time on his remarkable 23-year career after last month’s Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, has addressed the criticism he has faced over his Saudi Arabia role.
“We are in a free world and people can talk about anything,” the 38-year-old told The National. “But in some way, it’s important that the people, when they talk about things, it’s important that the people have the chances to visit the places, to know the real thing of the places.
“I am lucky, that because of my sport, I have been able to know all different cultures. [I have] a different vision about the world in general than the people who don’t have the luck to visit all these places around the world.
“So I accept the critics, especially I respect the critics who criticise things while respecting other people. When they don’t respect, it’s a different story.
“But I really, in some way, at the end of the day, I know when I make the decision that’s going to be happening. But in some way, I don’t care that much [about the criticism] if I really achieve the goal that I want to achieve here. In the end, it’s to improve the life, promoting sport in this country.
“For me, it’s an opportunity, first of all, to know a different culture. Second, to promote our sport in a region that is really growing in that regard.
“I want to be remembered here as a person that is here to help the new generations to practise and play more and more tennis.”
The 22-time Grand Slam winner added: “Everywhere you look in Saudi Arabia, you can see growth and progress and I’m excited to be part of that.
“But beyond playing I want to help the sport grow far and wide across the world and in Saudi there is real potential.”
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