Rafael Nadal is still winding down from his phenomenal career, which he brought to an end in November 2024.
Unlike fellow legend Serena Williams, Nadal is not considering a tennis comeback, instead enjoying other activities in his retirement, including golf.
And Nadal has now revealed his tennis idols during his latest exploits in that regard, having played golf with NFL legend Tom Brady.
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Rafael Nadal names his tennis idols growing up
As per E1 Series, Brady asked Nadal if he had anyone he really looked up to in tennis when he was growing up.
“Well, when I was young, it was the era of [Pete] Sampras and [Andre] Agassi,” the Spanish icon responded.
“And then Carlos Moya, he’s from Mallorca too, so I spent a lot of time practicing with him and having fun.
“So Carlos was an important person for me.”
Among their many stunning achievements, Sampras and Agassi claimed 14 and eight Grand Slam titles respectively.
They also played out a stunning rivalry for several years, while both Americans reached number one in the ATP rankings.
Moya also climbed to that rank once upon a time, while he secured his only Grand Slam title at the 1998 French Open.
Rafael Nadal suggests he turned professional too young
Of course, Nadal was also able to reach the summit of the ATP rankings, but he finished his career with 22 Grand Slam titles.
However, his extraordinary efforts have taken an immense toll on his body, which the 40-year-old has now detailed.
When asked if it was hard on his body to travel all over the world for tennis, he said: “Yeah, I mean, travelling was tough.
“But the intensity in tennis is… at the end, I started too young.
“I became professional when I was 15.
“I had a big issue on the foot when I was 18, and then after that I suffered a lot.
“I had deformation of the navicular bone, and then I broke it, stress fracture completely, and then I cannot fix it.”
| Titles | Player | Australian Open | French Open | Wimbledon | US Open | Years |
| 24 | Novak Djokovic | 10 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 2008–2023 |
| 22 | Rafael Nadal | 2 | 14 | 2 | 4 | 2005–2022 |
| 20 | Roger Federer | 6 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 2003–2018 |
Nadal will certainly feel the impacts of his career in the years to come, but he can take tremendous pride in what he’s achieved and the legacy he will leave.
One of the greatest players and indeed athletes of all time, he boasts 92 ATP titles and over 1,000 career wins.
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