Former World No. 1 Rafael Nadal has revealed whether he would take up a coaching gig in the future. The Spaniard retired at the Davis Cup in Mallorca last year.
Nadal is one of the most decorated athletes in tennis, winning 22 Major titles in his career. He holds the record for capturing the French Open 14 times on tour.
The 40-year-old was honoured for his contributions with a special ceremony in Paris this year. During a recent interview with NDL on YouTube, he spoke about donning the coach hat on tour.
Here’s his interaction with the interviewer:
“Hey Rafa, do you see yourself as a coach in the future? Maybe not right away, but someday—like Ferrero or Moyá?” the interviewer asked [translated from Spanish].
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"I don't know, what do you think? It's difficult, honestly. I don’t see myself doing that right now but you never know. Sincerely, I think I have too many things going on at the moment to even consider it. But it's true that tennis is such a big part of my life, so I can’t rule it out entirely. I don’t know what my life will look like in three, four or five years," Rafael Nadal said [18:45 onwards]
Nadal was coached by his uncle Toni Nadal and Carlos Moya during his peak playing career. He shared success with both coaches and played his last tournament with Carlos Moya.
With free time away from the tour, the Spaniard was asked bout his goals for the future. He wished to learn new things and lead a life with responsibility at this stage of his career.
"I always say it’s very important to have goals in life. At least for me, it doesn’t work to wake up each day without a purpose. I know it may work for some people, but I can’t imagine waking up without responsibility or something to do. I think striving for something is what brings happiness. If you get everything without making an effort, somehow it loses its value," Rafael Nadal said.
Nadal insisted that he couldn't give time to his other endeavours and wished to grow on a personal level on tour.
"Even your leisure time stops feeling special. So, I’d like to keep working, keep growing, keep learning. As I said earlier, I’ve spent almost my whole life playing tennis. Of course, I’ve done other things too, and I’ve learned along the way but now is the time to learn many more things that excite me. And I hope in a few years I can say I’ve grown as a person in all aspects," he added [20:00 onwards].
Rafael Nadal won eight Grand Slam titles with Carlos Moya
Rafael Nadal has had a successful partnership with Carlos Moya since 2017. The duo reached 10 Grand Slam finals together, with Nadal winning eight of them.
Nadal and Moya found success together starting with the 2017 French Open, where the Spaniard beat Stan Wawrinka to win the title. Later that year, they also won the US Open in New York.
The pair went on to win the Australian Open in 2022, and their most recent Grand Slam title came at the French Open the same year. Nadal and Moya could never win the Wimbledon Championships in London.
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