Have you ever imagined seeing Rafael Nadal play football? This scene will come to life in the Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior, Brazil’s premier youth football tournament, kicking off this Thursday (February 2).

However, it’s not exactly what you might be thinking. The player in question is Rafael Dencezuk Nadal, registered by Botafogo-SP for the competition.

The forward was born on May 17, 2005, in Ponta Grossa-PR, making him 19 years old, and plays as a striker. His career also includes stints at São Paulo, Azuriz-PR, and Hope International.
When it comes to paying homage or sheer coincidence, one must wonder: when center-forward Rafael Nadal was born, the Spanish tennis star was already a young man with many titles in the world of rackets. The legend had already triumphed in both the Davis Cup and Roland Garros. There are no indications that the name given to the forward was meant as a tribute to the idol of the court.

In a recent announcement, Rafael Nadal has left the door open to the possibility of stepping into a coaching role following his retirement from professional tennis. The Spanish tennis legend, who officially retired during the Davis Cup Finals after Spain’s quarterfinal exit, remains non-committal but hasn’t ruled out a future in coaching.

Nadal’s 2024 season was a tale of resilience and heartbreak–a comeback attempt in January was derailed by a recurring hip injury, delaying his return until spring. At 38, after competing in select clay tournaments, the 22-Grand Slam champion finally decided to hang up his racket, bringing an illustrious career to an emotional close. His uncle and long-time coach, Toni Nadal, who played a pivotal role in shaping his career, was constantly in the stands during his farewell tournaments.

When asked about the prospect of coaching, Rafael responded with characteristic thoughtfulness: “Never say never. As of today, it is too early to think about these kinds of things. I just need to organize my life. Right now, I don’t see myself in any project of this nature, but I don’t know how my life will be in one, two, or three years.”

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: Tennis superstar Rafael Nadal began his three-day visit to Jeddah on Friday where he took a tour of Al-Balad and met players and fans at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.

The Spanish legend started his time in Jeddah by visiting Al-Balad and taking a tour of Jeddah Historic District before making his way to King Abdullah Sports City, where the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF are being play

Nadal led a Meet & Greet and attended a prize giving ceremony at an U14 ATF tournament, which was held at the adjacent stadium to the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion then met with future stars of tennis competing in the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF – Alex Michelsen, Jakub Mensik and Joao Fonseca – before thrilling the massive crowd in the Fan Zone, where he signed autographs and posed for selfies.

Nadal who is working with the STF to support its ambition of inspiring one million into tennis by 2030, continues his tour of Jeddah on Saturday by meeting with Saudi Davis Cup players ahead of the semi-finals of the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.

Nadal has always been synonymous with excellence in sport. With 92 professional titles, including an Olympic gold medal, and a career defined by consistency and resilience, the Spaniard is regarded as one of the greatest legends in tennis history. However, his latest reflection, shared in The Players’ Tribune, invites us to look beyond his sporting achievements and focus on what he considers his true legacy: human values. “I hope my legacy is that I always tried to treat others with profound respect,” Nadal wrote in an emotional letter published last Tuesday. These words, imbued with humility, encapsulate the philosophy of a man who never allowed glory to overshadow his humanity.

The International Tennis Federation has unveiled the best photograph of the year in the racquet sport. A jury composed of ITF president David Haggerty, two-time Grand Slam champion Garbiñe Muguruza, and tennis photographer Paul Zimmer, selected the winning image of Paralympic tennis player Tokito Oda celebrating his gold medal at the Games. Rafael Nadal’s iconic photo leaving the Philippe Chatrier court after his last appearance at Roland Garros secured the second spot. Notably, four Spanish photographers featured among the top contenders.

Three-time champion Rafael Nadal will face former Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic in a testing first-round match at the BNP Paribas Open.

Monday’s draw for the year’s first ATP Masters 1000 of the year threw up an interesting challenge for the Spaniard, who reached the final in 2022 during his last visit to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Nadal leads Raonic 8-2 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head Series, but the Canadian won their lone meeting in the desert: a 4-6, 7-6(10), 7-5 classic in 2015.

Nadal will be making just his second appearance of the year, following a quarter-final run to the ATP 250 in Brisbane in the first week of the season.

Raonic, a former No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings, has been competitive in his two outings this year but has been let down by his 33-year-old body. At his last start, he pushed Jannik Sinner to a first-set tie-break in the Rotterdam quarter-finals before retiring. At the Australian Open he split sets with Alex de Minaur before retiring early in the third.