Nadal enjoys his free time with one of his great passions

Rafael Nadal always made it clear that he did not want to compromise his future health as he wanted to have a normal life in which he could enjoy time with his son and play sports. One of the Spanish’s favorite hobbies that he had to put aside for a long time was playing soccer. Well, shortly after retiring, you can already see him playing casual games with friends and staff from the Rafa Nadal Academy.

Patrick Mouratoglou, a well-respected coach in the tennis world, has worked with some of the sport’s best players. From guiding Serena Williams to 10 Grand Slam titles to becoming Naomi Osaka’s coach in September 2024, Mouratoglou has seen tennis greatness up close. But when asked about the greatest player of all time, he reflected on the longstanding debate between Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic

a 2024 interview with Talking Tennis (via Tennis365), Mouratoglou was candid about his thoughts on the “Big 3” and their place in tennis history. “I think they are all, the three are so unique. Any of the three I would have liked for sure; if I had to pick one, I would pick Novak,” he stated. “I said this several years ago, ‘I think he’s gonna become the greatest,’ when he had only 15 Grand Slams. I mean, only, sorry it’s a lot, but compared to what he has now.”

The coach was quick to clarify that he wasn’t diminishing the achievements of Nadal and Federer. “They are the three best players of all time,” Mouratoglou acknowledged. “So to work with one of them is something so special, but if I had to pick one, I would pick Novak because I always thought he would become the greatest.“