Rafael Nadal set to step back in the spotlight with his first tennis appearance post-retirement at Next Gen ATP Finals 2024 in Jeddah
Rafael Nadal is all set to make his first appearance at a tennis event after his retirement. The sport's all-time great played his last competitive match at the Davis Cup Finals last month in Malaga.
As reported, the Spaniard will be in attendance at the Next Gen ATP Finals, which is slated to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The event is scheduled to take place from December 18 to December 2022.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner's presence in Jeddah is significant because earlier this year in January, Nadal was chosen as the ambassador of the Saudi Tennis Federation. The Spaniard will endeavor to spread the game of tennis in the country and has committed to opening a tennis academy in the region.
Even though this move was criticized by some, due to Saudi Arabia's poor human rights record in the global arena. However, Nadal was optimistic about his new role and stated that sport had real potential to grow in a place like Saudi.
"Everywhere you look in Saudi Arabia, you can see growth and progress and I’m excited to be part of that,”...I continue to play tennis as I love the game. But beyond playing I want to help the sport grow far and wide across the world and in Saudi there is real potential" said Nadal (via forbes.com).
The Next Gen ATP Finals is supposed to pit the 8 best under-20 players of 2024 against each other. The field for this year consists of Arthur Fils, Alex Michelsen, Jakub Mensik, Juncheng Shang, Learner Tien, Luca Van Assche, Nishesh Basavareddy, and Joao Fonseca.
Rafael Nadal retired as one of the greatest players to ever play the sport
Rafael Nadal left a legacy not only in the world of tennis but in the world of sports in general. The Spaniard's never-die attitude, intensity, and charisma were inspirational for tennis players and non-tennis players alike.
On-court, the Spaniard collected an astounding 92 career titles. From winning 22 Major titles and 36 Masters 1000 titles to winning five Davis Cup titles and two Olympic gold medals for his country, the man from the Balearic Islands has achieved it all.
Clay was the dominant surface for Nadal as he took his game to another level while playing on the dirt, as is evident by 14 Roland Garros titles. The Spaniard won over 60 titles on the surface. He was dominant against his two biggest rivals, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, on the surface as well. The former World No. 1 contested a combined 45 clay-court matches against two of his biggest rivals, winning 34 of them.