ARTICLES:
- Nadal aims to play at French Open, Olympics | Reuters
“I don’t know which events I have left to play but between you and me, it’s not going to be many,” Nadal said in an interview with Spanish broadcaster La Sexta.
“(Roland Garros) will be one of my goals”, he added when asked whether he would play in his favourite Grand Slam tournament in May.
“I’d like to play at the Olympics as well. It’s not something I can confirm right now, but I hope I will… I think I will.”
- Rafael Nadal would prefer “another sport” to tennis in son Rafa Jr’s future | tennis.com
Speaking to LaSexta, Nadal revealed in a translation, “I would prefer if he plays another sport, if I’m being honest… It pains me to say it with everything that tennis has given me.”
That’s not to say the former world No. 1 wouldn’t back Rafa Jr. following in his footsteps, stating, “If he wants to play tennis, I will support him 100 percent. I would never veto his decision to play tennis, but… if he plays another sport, even better.”
- Rafa Nadal discusses the ‘radical’ change of being a parent | hola.com
“My wife likes that I’m still playing tennis. She likes for us to have that experience with my son,” he said in Spanish.
He also discussed how much life has changed since becoming a father, a process that requires some adaptation. “It’s a radical change,” he said. “No doubt about that. I htink everyone that’s a father or a mother knows that it’s a change. You have to adapt to it.”
Nadal explained that while his life has changed as a parent, his relationship with tennis has not. “It doesn’t change me for a simple fact, because I know what my partner thinks. It would change me if I had a partner that didn’t want to travel and wanted to stay in Mallorca all the time with my son.”
- Rafael Nadal: ‘Carlos Alcaraz is better than I was at his age’ | tennishead.net
“He’s a great kid,” Nadal told La Sexta. “A very complete tennis player at his age, with very few weaknesses.
“At his age I had a worse serve, a worse volley, a worse backhand, I had many things worse than him at his age.
“He has things very clear, from what I read at the press conference. He has a lot of ambition.
“At his age I would never have thought of something like wanting to face the best in the final. I think he has all the ingredients to have an incredible career.”
- Rafael Nadal vows to take action in Saudi Arabia and show Jordan Henderson how it’s done | express.co.uk
The Spaniard wants to ensure that there is no longer a ‘debate’ on LGBTQ+ rights within 10 years. He plans to prevent it from happening, although says there will not be change in the short term.
“In my academy he won’t have problems, in the country I don’t know,” Nadal said. “The problem is that this happens but the reality is that I am going to try to prevent it from happening.
“Things cannot be changed from today to tomorrow, the objective is that this is not debated in six, eight or ten years and that I can contribute to ensuring that it is not talked about in a few years. If it doesn’t happen, I’ll be disappointed.”
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Love you Rafa. Stay healthy.
It sounds very much like he is preparing “his fans” that this will be his last year playing, where he mentions that he’s not sure how many tournaments he will play, but not too many more. Of course I would love to see him win another French Open and also to see him compete at the Olympics on clay. Plus I would love to see him go out winning – so fingers crossed. In any case I will just enjoy watching him compete for alittle while longer!!
Love you Rafa
❤️
I shall always admire you and your principles, Rafa.
As for your attributes, it’s your humility that shines through like a beacon of light for the ages.
And last but not least, as for your tennis career – well, my son expresses it best: “when Rafa is in god-mode, he is unbeatable”. I am grateful to witness this God-given ability on display each time you come out to play. I shall miss this terribly when the time comes, yet I am happy that your wife, son and the Nadal family are there for the next phase of your life. I am not forgetting your team who help and continue to help you achieve your tennis dreams!