Rafael Nadal gives candid hint about possible new tennis role after exhibition comeback
Rafael Nadal addressed the prospect of coaching on the tennis tour after he returned to the court to play the Rafa Nadal Academy Slam exhibition.
The star-studded event was staged on Saturday to mark the 10-year anniversary of the Rafa Nadal academy in Mallorca.
Nadal was joined in Manacor by Andy Murray, Marat Safin, Dominic Thiem, Carlos Moya, David Ferrer, Richard Gasquet and Fabio Fognini.
The legendary Spaniard was on Team Rafa with Moya, Ferrer and Gasquet, while Murray, Safin, Thiem and Fognini were on Team Murray.
The former stars played a series of doubles tiebreaks, with Team Rafa claiming a 4-3 overall win.
It was Nadal’s first exhibition outing since he called time on his incredible career after the 2024 Davis Cup Finals.
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Following the event, Nadal — who helps players that train at his academy — was asked if he could make a return to tennis as a coach.
“To be a coach? Never say never,” said the 40-year-old tennis icon.
“In the end, I am here to give support to the boys and girls of the academy when they need it.
“I’m always open to being able to give a hand to whoever asks me to. But, I have two young children.
“I have many other things in my life today that occupy me on a daily basis, so I don’t think that my current life allows me to be or imagine being a coach in the way that it requires to be a good coach and dedicate yourself professionally to serving a professional player as they deserve.
“So it’s not in my head at all right now. I don’t know in five years from now what might happen.”
Speaking ahead of the exhibition, Nadal was candid about the challenge of playing tennis after the physical issues he endured in the latter stages of his career.
“Grabbing the racket will always be fun for me, but that’s another matter from closing the door on exhibitions – I’ll play them, but it’s a slow process,” the 22-time Grand Slam champion explained.
“In the end, I finished my career with a lot of physical problems; the racquet reminds me of many of the pains I went through.
“I can live better than I expected, and for me, that’s very important after spending so many years living something else.”
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