After the retirement of tennis legend Rafael Nadal becomes official, all eyes are focused on what the “King of the clay court” will do from now on.
Nadal made public his decision to retire from professional tennis on Thursday, October 10, ending a brilliant career in which he won a total of 22 Grand Slam titles – second on the all-time list behind Novak Djokovic -, 14 of them at the French Open.
The Spaniard’s racket will officially hang up after the Davis Cup final in November, but he has not only been known for his tennis prowess.
Nadal has been the face of some of the most iconic brands in the world, such as Nike, and his headband has been a staple of his clothing since he burst onto the scene.
Another topic of interest for Nadal is his unconditional love for Real Madrid. A lifelong fan of the club, he is a close friend of Florentino Pérez, president of the club, and it is common to see him attending games at the Santiago Bernabéu. He was named honorary member in 2011.
Nadal’s love for the club reaches the point that he could assume the presidency when Florentino considers that the time has come to leave the club, a wish that he confessed to the Movistar media in September 2024.
«Would I like to be [presidente]? “I think so,” he said. «I think I would like it. But there are many things. Right now there is nothing to say because we have the best president possible [Florentino].
«What I think today, I may not think tomorrow. Life takes many turns. You have to know if you are qualified to do this type of thing. I am quite realistic. I know my limitations. I don’t know if I would be able to or not. “Time will tell.”
Florentino has spoken well of Nadal in the past, despite the tennis great’s reservations about whether or not he could do the job, going so far as to say that he would be a “magnificent choice” in 2018. “He is the best Spanish athlete of all.” times, but beyond what he has achieved and continues to achieve in tennis, his figure represents the best values of the sport,” he continued.
“We Real Madrid fans carry him in our hearts and we are proud to have a great ambassador for Madrid in the world.”
Whether or not Nadal comes to power remains to be seen, but there is no doubt that his status as a sporting icon would make him a highly respected figure in boardrooms around the world.
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