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Tennis legend Rafael Nadal once talked about his wish to become Real Madrid president. The 38-year-old announced his retirement earlier this week after struggling with persistent injuries for more than a year.
Having played a heavily truncated schedule in 2014, including a shock first-round exit at Roland Garros - where he's a record 14-time champion - Nadal reached the Bastad final, losing in straight sets to Nuno Borges.
The Spaniard then headed to Roland Garros once again - this time for the 2024 Paris Olympics singles campaign - where he lost to his arch-rival and eventual champion Novak Djokovic in straight sets.
Nadal - a honourary Real Madrid member - told Juanma Castano of Movistar Plus+ (via Marca) in September 2023 about his desire to be the club president before quickly adding that the current president Florentino Perez is the right man for the job:
“Yes, I would like to be president of Real Madrid. But at the moment there's nothing to say, because we have the best possible president. Afterwards, life takes many turns, and you have to consider whether you are capable of certain things."
It's pertinent to note that Nadal's uncle, Miguel Angel, played for Los Blancos' arch-rivals Barcelona, but the left-hander is a Los Blancos fan.
"Rafael Nadal is a source of pride for our country" - Real Madrid president Florentino Perez
Rafael Nadal is undoubtedly one of the best ever to wield a tennis racquet in his hand. During his legendary career spanning more than two decades, the Spaniard won 92 singles titles, including 22 Grand Slams, once a record tally in men's tennis.
Apart from his record tally at Roland Garros, Nadal has also won the Davis Cup five times with Spain and the Olympic gold medal twice (singles - 2008, doubles - 2016).
Paying tribute to his compatriot for bringing laurels to the country, Perez said in a club statement released by Real Madrid following Nadal's retirement announcement:
“Rafa Nadal is also a source of pride for our country and is an example of the core values of sport, with which he has forged his entire extraordinary career.”
A part of the club statement read:
"At Real Madrid we would also like to express our gratitude to him for his Madridista spirit and for spreading the values of our club to all corners of the world. We wish Rafa Nadal and his family all the best in this new stage of their lives."
Rafael Nadal will play his last tournament at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga next month.
