Rafael Nadal, tennis legend with 22 titles Grand Chelem, recently announced his intention to retire after the Davis Cup final tournament in November 2024 in Malaga.

The decision marks the end of an exceptional career, but raises questions about his future plans, including the possibility of him getting involved in padel, a rapidly growing sport.

As early as 2013, his childhood friend, Joan Suasi, declared in the columns of L'Équipe: "Rafael is happy when he is competing. Whether it's tennis, golf, padel, PlayStation... For him, without competition, there is no possible improvement. And without improvement, there is no possible pleasure. When he ends his career, he may spend a few quiet years, but it won't last. He will need to become a competitor somewhere else. He won't be able to stay in his armchair or on the beach all day, I'm sure of that."

Nadal has already shown his interest in padel by integrating facilities dedicated to the sport into his Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor, which includes 12 padel courts, 6 indoors and 6 outdoors.

In addition, the Rafa Nadal Academy has hosted professional padel tournaments, reinforcing its commitment to this discipline.

Although Nadal has not yet officially announced his intention to take up competitive padel, his love of competition and his involvement in the development of the sport suggest that he could consider a career in the discipline after retiring from professional tennis.

Padel, a racket sport combining elements of tennis and squash, is experiencing rapid growth with nearly 30 million players worldwide.

The involvement of iconic figures like Nadal could help further increase its popularity.

Although nothing is confirmed, the clues suggest that Rafael Nadal could find in padel a new arena to satisfy his thirst for competition and continue to inspire sports fans around the world.

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.

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