Rafael Nadal Warns of Tennis ‘Market’ Formation

As one of the most respected names in the sport of tennis, Rafael Nadal has been a major competitor at the very peak of the sport. Known for being open-ended and often outspoken on topics of importance, he recently spoke about the business-ification of the sport of tennis. This was recently raised by other major names, including Novak Djokovic.

When asked about this recently, Nadal was pretty clear about what he thought of the changing face of tennis. He said: “It cannot become a market because you work with passion

“To make an opinion you have to go through things, that’s why I do not accept criticism.

“When something does not work you have to change it and the Davis Cup, being one of the most traditional and nicest tournaments of our sport, was not working very well or very bad, so a change was necessary and I supported it.

“Let’s give it a shot and support them. You have to thank Gerard Pique for investing on us. The only shame is that ITF lost a chance to get popularity and that it got a lot of criticism.”

Given the regular criticism about the changes coming into the sport, it’s interesting to see him speak so candidly about the need for change but also the need to avoid a loss of the passion within the sport.

When asked if he thought sport would be in trouble when he and other legends like Djokovic and Roger Federer retire, he was clear, saying: “Tennis needs stars and reference points that stay over the time in order to generate attention outside our sport too.”

So, for many tennis fans, the words of Nadal will feel like a welcome addition to an argument that’s been brewing for some time.