Rafael Nadal is undoubtedly one of the greatest athletes of all time, having won 22 Grand Slam titles during his illustrious career.
The “King of Clay” retired from tennis in 2024 at the age of 38, after years of injury struggles, which included issues with his hips and knees. It’s surprising, therefore, that 10 days after he officially hung up the racquet, Nadal immediately took to another sport professionally.
He returned to his home country of Spain, Mallorca specifically, to tee off in a professional golf tournament. He’s known as an exceptional golfer with a handicap of +0.3, and was once invited to play at the iconic Augusta National.
But this was a different test altogether, which, incredibly, he passed with flying colours.
Where Rafael Nadal finished in a professional golf tournament
Days after his retirement from tennis, Nadal teed off at the FGB Hexagonal Golf Circuit in Mallorca. And amazingly, he secured a top-10 finish in a field of 76 players, finishing eighth.
Nadal even held the lead at one point in the tournament. He made two birdies on the par-5 9th and 16th holes. He also birdied the third hole in an incredible display, 10 days on from the Davis Cup, which was his final tennis event.
Nadal was representing the Rafa Nadal Academy at the Club de Golf Son Servera, which finished fourth in the tournament. The academy is famous for tennis, but is often represented at the local golf course in Mallorca, where this event was played.
By achieving this finish at such short notice, Nadal proved there might have been a professional golfer in him in another life!
The reason why Rafael Nadal loves to play golf after his tennis career
Nadal’s body took a beating during his tennis career. His high-octane style of play made him unbeatable on his day, but it wasn’t a sustainable approach to the game. He suffered for it in his latter years.
But golf provides Nadal with a competitive environment where he can compete at the elite level without putting the same strain on his body. He spoke about that to the Miami Herald in 2012.
Nadal said, “I love the game of golf in general. I was watching all the afternoon the last round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational… Golf is great, because you are always in beautiful places when you are playing, and the risk for injury, as you know, is very small.”
There’s been a long line of Spaniards for Nadal to support, from Seve Ballesteros to Sergio Garcia, and now Jon Rahm. In another universe, maybe Nadal would have fought against them.
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