Former two-time French Open finalist Alex Corretja believes Rafael Nadal has little chance of pulling off an Andy Murray and becoming a coach soon after retiring from professional tennis.
Novak Djokovic made a surprise revelation 10 days ago, revealing the newly retired Briton as his coach for the start of 2025 and the Australian Open. Previously, the previous three-time Major winner’s career ended on August 1st at the Paris Olympics.
Following Murray, Nadal ended his remarkable career two weeks later at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga. Knowing how connected the Spaniard was to tennis, and that he quit only after realizing his body couldn’t take it any longer, several immediately speculated whether he could do something similar to the British tennis legend.
Corretja, a former Spanish world No. 2 who has a strong relationship with the former 22-time Grand Slam champion, does not believe this will happen.
“In my opinion, it is impossible.” 99.99% impossible. Because in this life, nothing is impossible. But I’d be quite surprised. I believe he will need time to realize what he truly wants to do. It’s a little different than Andy. I believe Andy, despite having four children and being busy at home, may have fewer things to do on a daily basis,” Corretja told Eurosport.
“But Rafa is living on his own, you know, in Manacor, and he has his academy. I don’t see him moving much from there. I felt that Andy wanted to have the experience of still traveling, you know. Rafa, I don’t view him as a coach or consultant to anyone. I could imagine him more as a consultant for, say, Real Madrid. Something significant, something he could bring to the team from time to time, and give them some speeches. I’d view it for a little length of time. Three or six months. But on a daily level, I don’t really notice it.”
What Nadal once said about the possibility of becoming a coach?
After holding a special press conference in May 2023 to announce his plans to retire in 2024, the 38-year-old heard a lot of conjecture regarding his future. Some speculated that the former world number one could return to the Tour as a tennis instructor, which came as no surprise.
When asked about it, Nadal stated that he did not want to talk too much about his future and what may or may not happen. He did not, however, rule out the possibility of collaborating with someone in the future.
“They ask me questions about the future to which I am unable to respond. Because the future is often unknown, I don’t lose sight of the fact that I have an academy where players can come, and I enjoy sports overall. I enjoy tennis, so I can’t say I won’t drink the water or become a coach. I can’t see myself finishing a full year on the Tour; it’s absolutely impossible. Now, in a few weeks, being able to assist someone or spend time with a player—why not tomorrow? Not today, but who knows what tomorrow brings,” Nadal told Diario AS in September 2023.
Mats Wilander thinks Nadal may be interested in working with Carlos Alcaraz
Anyone who follows tennis knows that Alcaraz grew up idolizing the 14-time French Open champion. And there is mutual respect between the two, as the Spanish tennis legend agreed to partner up with the 21-year-old in men’s doubles at the Paris Olympics.
Following Nadal’s retirement, former seven-time Grand Slam winner Wilander stated that the 38-year-old might be interested in working with the 2023 and 2024 Wimbledon champions.
“It is entirely feasible that Nadal will return as a coach. I can envision him coaching Alcaraz. Carlos has one of the finest players presently, Juan Carlos Ferrero, but he lacks the ability to keep the same energy throughout a match,” the Swedish tennis veteran told Eurosport.
Given that the current world No. 3 holds the highest regard for Nadal, it is logical to assume that he would not turn down the opportunity to train with his idol.
It remains to be seen whether Nadal and Alcaraz will form a partnership one day.
