Tennis icon Rafael Nadal already have his sights on the presidential seat at Real Madrid after announcing his retirement from tennis.
The iconic figure in the world of sports, called time to his period on the tennis court on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, closing the curtains on what has been nothing short of a prolific career.
Rafael Nadal has been a professional in the tennis space as far back as 20 years ago. He went on to enjoy an unprecedented level of success in the field.
The Spaniard boasts a staggering 1,080 victories and 92 titles, including an impressive 22 Grand Slam tournament wins, Olympic gold in singles from Beijing doubles, and four Davis Cup trophies.
The cup victories secured his top spot in the ATP world rankings list for 209 weeks. He also earned the nickname ‘King of the Clay’, winning 14 of the 19 tournaments played on the clay and 112 of his 116 matches on the surface.
The Davis Cup coming up in November 2024 would be Nadal’s last professional tournament before he finally hangs up his racket.
Rafael Nadal on Real Madrid presidential role
The tennis great is expected to focus more on spending quality time with his family, indulge more in his hobbies like playing golf and fishing, and spend more time overseeing the growth of his tennis mansion in Spain.
Another activity the Spaniard would undoubtedly spend his time doing is showing up at the Santiago Bernabeu and supporting the Real Madrid football team regularly.
Nadal is close friends with a lot of the personas at Real Madrid, including club president Florentino Perez, who always ensures Nadal gets VIP treatment whenever he comes to visit the Bernabeu.
Nadal’s love for football isn’t a secret. He has been pictured enjoying a game of football with friends and has previously admitted he enjoyed the sport more than tennis as a child but chose to pursue the latter because he was better at it.
Specifically, he is also known to be a huge fan of Real Madrid and has strong ties to the club and a strong friendship with the club president Florentino Perez. With Perez expected to step down from his role in a couple of years given his old age, reports are already emerging regarding Nadal being his potential successor.
Nadal on Real Madrid presidential seat
Nadal had also opened up on how the prospect of being the club president excites him while he was still an active player.
“If you ask me if I would be excited if I became the president of Real Madrid, of course, the answer is yes. I would be happy, but it’s not in my life plans,” Rafa once said in an interview for “El Objectivo de La Sexta”. he said.
Although he made it clear he would never be an opposing candidate to Florentino Perez, stating he doubted he could do better than the current president.
Real Madrid fans would also not have too many objections to Nadal being a successor to Perez, considering how hard of a Madrista he is, being the club’s staunch supporter even though he is from a family that is historically filled with Barcelona supporters. One of his uncles, Toni, reportedly tried to persuade him to join the Barcelona football school as a teenager without success.
The Spaniard also fits all the requirements to become Real Madrid’s top figure one day. His retirement from tennis, Perez’s inevitable retirement, and his Spanish citizenship all plead his case positively.
