Rafael Nadal has addressed 'sportswashing' concerns after he accepted a £208,000 gold racket from exhibition tournament organisers in Saudi Arabia. The Spaniard is due to retire after November's Davis Cup Finals having enjoyed a remarkable 23-year-career. His appearance at the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh thus marked his final tournament, but one.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that Nadal had become an ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation - alongside existing ambassadors Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz . As the announcement was made, Nadal explained how his decision was motivated by a desire to spread passion for his sport. He said: "Everywhere you look in Saudi Arabia, you can see growth and progress and I’m excited to be part of that.
I continue to play tennis as I love the game. "But beyond playing I want to help the sport grow far and wide across the world and in Saudi there is real potential." The 38-year-old was then part of a stellar line-up for the Saudi Arabian Six Kings Slam, a tournament that was held for the first time this year.
He was handed a tidy sum of £1.15m just for competing in the event, despite only playing in a first round match. World number one and the eventual tournament winner Jannik Sinner, meanwhile, received a jaw-dropping £4.
6m. But that was not the only thing that Nadal walked away from the tournament with. Paying tribute to the Spaniard's career and honouring him ahead of his retirement, the 22-time Grand Slam winner was gifted a .