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Rafael Nadal could easily have chosen a quiet life after one of the greatest sporting careers the world has ever known, leaving his grand slams and inspiration to the next generation as his legacy. But a gentle retirement was never likely to be the Spaniard’s way, with a range of business interests, tennis academies and a foundation bearing his name, his second act may, in its own way, prove even more influential than the first. There are, as Nadal told the Post in an exclusive interview, “plenty of projects, plenty of things to do”, coupled with a drive to create opportunities for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. In the city for the first time last week, Nadal already has an established relationship in Hong Kong with his tennis academy in Sai Kung. A gala ball this weekend marked the start of his foundation’s presence. “I achieved my dream because I had the opportunity to achieve my dream,” Nadal said. “Because I was born in a good family and they were able to give me the right education, the right bases and platform to develop myself. “So, we [his foundation] have the goal to try to create places where the kids can see a different world. We try to take them out from the street, from this negative atmosphere. Bring them to a positive atmosphere, with a healthy community, with teachers, with all the kids, and through sport and education we believe we can change futures.” One of those “things to do” is a new partnership with Dr Adrian Cheng Chi-kong and the Hong Kong-based WEMP Foundation, which focuses on youth mental wellness. In Hong Kong, one in seven people aged 10 to 19 experience a mental disorder and 24.4 per cent of children and adolescents report having faced at least one mental health issue in the past year. The 2023 census, meanwhile, revealed that 22,600 children in the city, or 23.8 per cent of those under-18, lived below the poverty line. Cheng and Nadal had met previously at the latter’s base in Mallorca, and reunited at an event at the Regent Hong Kong Hotel on Friday, when the tennis star said they “shared a lot of values through our foundations and in personal values”. “We are excited about that partnership,” Nadal said. “And very happy to know different realities, different visions, and for us at the end, it’s a learning tool, and it’s an inspiration to see other foundations doing the things that they are doing.” For Nadal, inspiration also comes from witnessing the growth and development of the children who go through his foundation’s various centres around the world. “You see kids that when you visited them years ago, they went through a lot of problems, mental issues,” Nadal said. “And you see them later starting a career, you know, studying, being in university. “And that’s something to really encourage you to keep moving forward, to keep working hard and to try to keep growing in a good way, because you can’t make mistakes on that.” In a glittering career that included 22 grand slam titles, an Olympic gold and a total of 209 weeks as world No 1, Nadal knew success more than most. It came, according to the 39-year-old, from a place of “being at peace” with himself and knowing he had always tried his best. “It’s the same with the foundation,” he said. “We need to do all we can to help the kids to be in good shape and to try to change their reality. And to try to change a little bit their mentality and their future. “We know that the percentage of kids that we are gonna make a real difference…it’s not going to be a hundred per cent, but we need to be at peace with ourselves that we tried our best to change the future of these kids that are pre-destined to not be very good, let’s say.”
