“Ambassador” Rafa reports for Saudi tennis duty

Rafael Nadal will start earning his big-time fee as Saudi “tennis ambassador” when the former king of clay fronts up for PR duty at the NextGen Finals in Jeddah in less than a week.

The now-retired 22-time Grand Slam champion will be paraded through several appearances at the shootout between the best eight under-20 players from this past season on the ATP.

The event which runs for five days from next Wednesday will wrap with just a few short weeks before the 2026 tennis season kicks off in Perth, Australia.

Nadal will be expected to lead coaching clinics, meet players and fans, and “play his part in inspiring more people into tennis.” officials said in a Thursday release.

The winner of 14 Roland Garros titles has a contract with the national tennis federation as the kingdom muscles into the tennis world backed by mega petro-dollars. 

Nadal, appointed to his public-facing job in 2early 2024, is charged with trying to grow tennis in the desert kingdom.

After arriving, the Spaniard participated in a fan meet-and-greet and ran a clay training session for young locals.

“Coming back to Jeddah for the NextGen ATP Finals is something I am looking forward to. I’ve been given the warmest of welcomes in Saudi Arabia and I feel there is a real energy for tennis,” he said.“It’s my goal to help inspire the next generation, in Saudi Arabia and around the world.  The reason for me to come back is to see the development at all levels and to help towards that goal. I’m very proud to help more kids pick up a racquet, compete, or simply discover something new that they love.”

The main event on court is led by Learner Tien of the US, finalist here a year ago; he is joined in the field by Belgium’s Alexander Blockx, Croatian Dino Prižmić, Spain’s Martin Landaluce, Norwegian Nicolai Budkov Kjær, Nishesh Basavareddy of the United States, Spaniard Rafael Jodar, and Germany’s Justin Engel.