Rafael Nadal urged to cancel retirement after practice session in Saudi Arabia

One of Rafael Nadal’s rivals believes he should cancel his retirement plans after seeing him in action in Saudi Arabia.

The Spaniard played his penultimate tournament at the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Riyadh. He is now set to retire at next month’s Davis Cup Finals.

But Holger Rune was impressed by Nadal’s level when they practised and joked that he shouldn’t end his career.

It’s been three weeks since Nadal announced his retirement. The 22-time Grand Slam champion will have a fitting send-off at the Davis Cup, where he will represent Spain in front of a home crowd in Malaga.

The former world No. 1 has barely played over the last two years after facing numerous physical setbacks. He admitted it was time to stop in an emotional video statement released on social media.

Nadal then headed to Saudi Arabia to compete in the Six Kings Slam with Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev and Rune. It was his first tournament since confirming his impending retirement.

The 38-year-old hadn’t played a hard-court match since January and, given his decision to hang it up, there weren’t many expectations going into the exhibition event. But he left Rune impressed with his intensity on the practice court.

The pair hit together when they first arrived in Riyadh. And the world No. 13 was inspired by Nadal’s dedication to his practice sessions even at this stage in his career.

Explaining how the top players motivated him, Rune told Tennis Channel: “I think inspiration is very good. But I’m just trying to be a beast, you know when I’m practising.

“I’m trying to push the limits as much as I can but definitely players like Djokovic and Rafa as well.

“I remember I was practising with Rafa in Riyadh and I was just surprised that the guy’s almost retired and his intensity is still up there. I was like, ‘[He] Shouldn’t retire!’”

Rune isn’t the only one who doesn’t want to see Nadal hang up his racket. The Spaniard got the chance to play long-time rival Djokovic one final time in the third-place playoff match in Riyadh and the 24-time Major winner begged his foe not to retire.

During the trophy presentation, Djokovic said: “It’s quite an emotional moment, an emotional day. You know, we’ve been, we’ve been playing so many matches over so many years, and don’t leave tennis, man, stay a little bit more. Stay with us!

“I will finish with one big thank you from not just me but all of the tennis world for what you have done. You have left an incredible legacy.”