What is Rafael Nadal like after his retirement?

Carlos Navarro | 27 Jun 2025 | 19.37

Rafael Nadal. Source: Getty

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It hasn't been a full year since Rafael Nadal retired from professional tennis, and we undeniably miss him. The man from Manacor decided to start a new chapter in his life after the last Davis Cup: since then, we have seen him at many events, football matches, promotional activities... in general, enjoying his new pursuits until we were thrilled with him again just a few weeks ago, after the great tribute he received at Roland Garros 2025.

What perhaps wasn't so clear is how Rafael Nadal's post-retirement life is. Has he acquired new routines? Has he become stricter with his diet? Has fatherhood greatly changed him? Questions to which we didn't have answers until a few days ago, when the Spaniard gave an interview distancing himself from tennis and showing us the more human side of Nadal, openly discussing habits he had rarely confessed before. It's always nice to get closer to the person behind Nadal.

- What is his life like now and has he found a certain routine?

"No, the routine is... a life with little routine today (he smiles). I try to organize my day to spend time at home; I like to pick up my child from school. I do it whenever I can. Then, I try to schedule most of my work, meetings, and such in the morning."

- Has fatherhood changed his perspective on life?

"I don't think my perspective on life has changed because I've always been someone who loves children and knew that this was my dream. The way of living... a little, yes. You have a somewhat different responsibility. I thought I would end my career and play golf four times a week, five times a week... and in the end, due to work and because you want to be at home with him, I end up playing twice a week (laughs)."

- The role golf has played throughout his career, and his rediscovered passion for the sport after retirement

"I love sports in general, always have, but I particularly took to golf when I was a professional, as it was a sport that allowed me to do something I enjoyed outside of tennis while being low-risk in terms of injury. I loved playing football and many other activities with a higher level of activity, but there was a risk of injury that I had to avoid. Now I have played football several times, after nearly fifteen years without playing, you can't imagine how bad I've become (laughs). I play as much as I can, except for goalkeeping, as I have some hand pain and can't stop; usually, I play as a forward."

- Does he still follow a strict and careful diet after retiring? What is Rafa's approach to nutrition?

"No, not really. In the end, that level of education regarding nutrition came a bit later than my generation. The knowledge of how to eat well, how to maintain proper routines, I think came a bit later than when I was growing up. It's something I improved on a lot, especially from the middle of my career onwards when I started working with nutritionists and improved, but I was never super strict. It was an area where I had a significant margin for improvement. And once retired, it's pretty much the same: better times, worse times... I allow myself treats almost daily. I really like chocolate, for example."