Rafael Nadal arrived to compete in the Next Generation ATP Finals in Saudi Arabia on Sunday to a huge ovation from tennis fans.
Nadal, seen in public for the first time since retiring from playing in November, was seen arriving at the King Abdullah Sports City venue in Jeddah to a roaring ovation from the crowd.
The 38-year-old man, wearing a black suit, was escorted through the backstage area by security.
And the Manacor native couldn’t help but smile as he waved and saluted the fans in the stands before walking off to find his seat.
Nadal becomes the second member of the ‘Big Three’ to retire from tennis, following Roger Federer’s decision to hang up his rackets in September 2022.
Andy Murray also retired in August this year after withdrawing from the 2024 Paris Olympics, leaving only Novak Djokovic, a member of the golden generation of tennis, remaining on the big stage.
In 23 years as a professional, Nadal has won 22 Grand Slam titles (including 14 at Roland Garros) and 92 total ATP Tour titles.
Despite only leaving the court a few weeks ago, Nadal couldn’t resist the chance to catch a glimpse of tomorrow’s star in Sunday’s final.
With tennis royalty watching, Brazilian teenager João Fonseca scored a stunning victory, defeating American star Lerner Tien to become the youngest NextGen winner since Jannik Sinner in 2019.
Before the final took place, Nadal gave valuable advice to the sport’s next generation of talent, Fonseca and Alex Mikkelsen, thereby giving an interesting insight into his insatiable thirst to win matches.
“For me it’s about the personal feeling that if I don’t do my best, I can’t do my best. When I go home, I don’t feel at home with myself,” Nadal said.
“Ultimately, it’s the fear of not being happy with yourself. It’s like, ‘I can lose, I can play badly, I can play well.’ But what you can’t do is know that you tried. Don’t leave the court while doing so.
“The last thing that matters to me is taking personal responsibility to do my best no matter the circumstances.
“Sometimes trying your best can turn into a disaster, in that you play so badly…If you can mentally be there and accept the challenge, accept that you are playing badly. But we have to fight with what we have today to have the level to win that match.
“And then the next day you play a little bit better and win the game, and somehow in our sport things can change quickly.”
