Rafael Nadal warned he will ‘tarnish his image’ if he accepts lucrative retirement offer

Rafael Nadal has been urged to avoid the temptation of accepting a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia to end his career with a farewell match in the Gulf state. Nadal is yet to confirm his retirement plans but is widely expected to hang up his racket before the end of 2024. The Spaniard recently said that he would not be playing at the US Open despite initially appearing on the entry list for the final Grand Slam of the year. He remains on course to play at the Laver Cup, fuelling speculation that it could be his final event before retiring from tennis.

It remains to be seen where Nadal will decide to call it quits, but French journalist Benoit Maylin is adamant that he should avoid retiring in Saudi Arabia. He believes that such a move would tarnish Nadal’s public image as a result of the country’s human rights record. Speaking to Sans Filet, Maylin said: “It should have been at Roland Garros this year or at the Olympics. The symbolism would have been strong but he didn’t want to. At the Laver Cup, as with [Roger] Federer, who lined up the zeros to get it in September?

“In Saudi Arabia, where he became the ambassador of their tennis federation this year and who could organise an exhibition worth millions? As long as it’s nothing like that. It would tarnish the image of a champion renowned for his ethics.” In January, the Saudi Tennis Federation announced that Nadal had taken up an ambassadorial role with the aim of developing the sport in the country. It led to criticism in some quarters, given that Nadal has already made hundreds of millions of pounds throughout his career.

Maylin went on to suggest that Nadal should bow out on home soil at the Davis Cup finals, which are set to take place in the Spanish city of Malaga in November. “If he has to stop this year, let him do it in Spain, defending his country’s colours in the Davis Cup with Carlos Alcaraz,” he added. “That would be beautiful.” Nadal has never indicated that he is planning to finish his career in Saudi Arabia in spite of his role with the country’s tennis federation. Only time will tell how the final stages of his career will play out, with the 38-year-old yet to reveal any concrete retirement plans.