Rafael Nadal has a new gig lined up. The Spanish tennis player announced that he’s partnered up with the the Saudi Tennis Federation in hopes of increasing the visibility of tennis in Saudi Arabia.
Nadal shared the news on social media, sharing a video of the reveal of the partnership. In it, kids in Saudi Arabia are seen playing and practicing tennis when Nadal enters the court to surprise them. “For me, the goal is to promote tennis,” said Nadal. “To create the infrastructure to support growing players.”
“To have the possibility to practice the sport in the best way possible,” he concluded.
Nadal also shared a statement in writing, sharing his decision to support tennis in Saudi Arabia. “Everywhere you look in Saudi Arabia, you can see growth and progress and I’m excited to be part of that,” reads the statement. “I continue to play tennis as I love the game. But beyond playing I want to help the sport grow far and wide across the world and in Saudi there is real potential.”
Nadal’s role in the federation includes promoting tennis in the kingdom and the possibility of setting up a Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy, which currently has only one location in Manacor, Spain.
Nadal’s withdrawal from the Australian Open
Earlier this month, Nadal was forced to withdraw from the Australian Open. Following some games at the Brisbane International, Nadal experienced an injury that had to be looked at, resulting in him not being physically ready for the tournament, which kicked off in January 11.
Nadal had just returned from a year long absence following a hip injury. Luckily, the new injury is unrelated to the previous one, with Nadal expected to return to tennis competitions at some point soon.
