Since hanging up his racket at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals, the 38-year-old has focused on his various projects, including his eponymous academy, while also enjoying life beyond tennis. Interestingly, he picked up the padel for a fun practice with his former coach Moya and others.
He took to Instagram to share some photos from the session and express his delight at picking up the padel.
“I had so much fun today! 😃 Who do you think won the match?” he captioned the post.
Nadal, considered by many to be one of the greatest athletes ever, suffered an injury-riddled couple of years leading up to 2024. He made his grand return at the beginning of the season at the Brisbane International but later suffered another injury, which kept him out until the clay swing, where though he showed glimpses of his previous greatness, he was by and large, a shadow of his former self.
Rafa is padeling❣️🥹🤧 such a lovely sight…
_andro02 IG stories pic.twitter.com/WlMEaADBSA
— 𝓝𝓪𝓭𝓪➁➁𝓲𝓬𝓪¹⁴ 🇺🇦 (@Nadallica86) March 4, 2025
He indicated that his final tournament would be the Davis Cup Finals, which he had won five times. In his final match, he lost against Botic Van de Zandschulp. Despite Carlos Alcaraz’s efforts, Team Netherlands defeated Team Spain, ending one of the greatest tennis careers.
Fortunately, the 22-time Major champion appears to be enjoying life in retirement.
