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Rafael Nadal picks up a racket again as his academy turns ten
Two years after retiring, Rafael Nadal is back on court in Manacor, where his academy is celebrating ten years. More exhibitions are coming; the coaching box can wait.
by Camille Vasseur · 1 min read
Rafael Nadal still owns a racket, and he means to keep using it. In Manacor, the academy that has carried his name since 2016 is celebrating its tenth anniversary this weekend, and the Spaniard has stepped back on court for an exhibition, with seven former top-10 players around him.
Seven former top-10 players reunited in Mallorca
On one side, Nadal with Richard Gasquet, Carlos Moya and David Ferrer. On the other, Andy Murray, Dominic Thiem, Fabio Fognini and Marat Safin. The group met for dinner on the eve of the event, as the academy’s account showed. No ranking points on offer, yet tennis all the same.
“I will play exhibitions again, I want to”
That is what he told L’Équipe, and it says one simple thing: Manacor will not be the last of them. No date has been announced yet, and the desire will stay with exhibitions, not with a comeback on tour.
The coaching box can wait
On coaching, his answer is clear. “You should never say never in life”, he told Sports Illustrated, before closing the door: “At the moment, I am not thinking about it at all. It would be even worse if I worked as a coach. I enjoyed every second I spent on the tour, but now it is time to write a new chapter in my life.”
He is writing that chapter from Mallorca: the academy, a fourth hotel opened recently, his family. There is nothing to bet on this weekend: none of these matches is priced, and no ranking is at stake. The next exhibition line-up, though, will be an event.