Tennis legend Rafael Nadal was seen at the next-gen ATP finals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This is the first time the legend is touring the city post-retirement and he will be there for the next three days visiting many places. The Spaniard is one of the all-time greats to have played Tennis and is part of the Big Three. He announced his retirement last month at the Davis Cup tournament after playing tennis for more than 2 decades.
Rafa in Jeddah
The 38-year-old started his tour by visiting Al-Balad and then entered the King Abdullah Sports City. The Next Gen ATP finals are being played, where he met the future tennis stars like Alex Michelson, Jakuv Mensik, and Joao Fonseca. The crowd was very delighted to see the legend in their home city and went rushing to take photos and get autographs.
Rafael Nadal is working very hard on an ambition to bring 1 million players to play tennis by 2030. He also met with the Saudi Arabian Davis Cup players ahead of the semi-finals of the next-gen ATP finals. The STF (Saudi Tennis Federation) is working with Nadal to promote and develop tennis in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner is a global icon as he could bring more interest into the sport and help build the infrastructure. The STF is planning to position tennis as the main sport in the country and that is the biggest reason they are organising many major tournaments.
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Joao Fonseca, an 18-year-old tennis player playing in the tournament, and was just 4 years old when he first met the spanish legend with his mother. Now 14 years, later he is playing the next-gen ATP finals and Nadal is seeing him play live by visiting the venue.
Talking about meeting the legend the Brazilian player said, “Rafa is a legend. I’m a Roger fan, but I also love Rafa. My coach is a Rafa fan. My Phone unlock screen is Rafa with a sentence. It has been a pleasure to meet him. Eleven titles in a season is just insane. I will try to do the same.”
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