Rafael Nadal reveals his ‘wife suffers’ because of his hobby

Rafael Nadal has always been an avid golfer as you often found him on the greens or playing in charity events when he was not competing or training during this tennis playing days.

Although he often states he plays for fun, he is quite good as he has won a few tournaments, including the Balearic Mid-Amateur Championship by seven strokes in February 2024.

Since hanging up his tennis racket in November 2024, former world No 1 Nadal has spent a lot more time on the golf course and he even played a few rounds with his long-time rival and fellow great Roger Federer at the Pula Golf Resort in Mallorca in July 2025.

But it is not his playing hours that have increased, as he is now watching a lot of golf on TV and during a charity tournament at the Club de Campo in Madrid this week, he made a confession: “I follow golf every week, and my wife suffers because of it.

“I watched [former PGA world No 1 and two-time major winner] Jon Rahm play this week in Riyadh; he had a spectacular finish to the round and almost won. I generally enjoy following it.”

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The 22-time Grand Slam winner, who presented his new charity golf circuit, Spin&Swing, in Mallorca this week, also revealed that he had received wildcard offers in the past to play in professional events, but tennis always came first.

“I’ve been offered an invitation several times, but so far the circumstances haven’t been right,” the King of Clay said.

Now that he no longer has to focus on tennis, would he consider taking up one of those offers?

“You never know in the future, but I would have to feel like I was playing without making a fool of myself and with the hope of at least being able to compete, even if it’s just against myself,” he admitted.

Besides Nadal and Federer, another former member of the Big Four has also been playing a lot of golf since retiring with Andy Murray also into his golf.

And maybe there could be a Big Four reunion on the golf course in future with Nadal telling The Telegraph in an interview last year: “Yes, it could happen, but they have to get training – I have a bit of an advantage in that.

“On the tennis court, there wasn’t that much difference between us, but in this I’m much better than them.”