Rafael Nadal achieves stunning golf result days after tennis retirement, finishes in top 10

Rafael Nadal participated in the FGB Hexagonal Golf Circuit at the Club de Golf Son Servera in the Spaniard's hometown of Mallorca. Days after his tennis retirement, Nadal notched up a top-10 finish at the golf event.

On Tuesday, November 19, Spain was ousted from the Davis Cup with a quarterfinal defeat to the Netherlands. Nadal played the final singles match of his career against Botic van de Zandschulp but the Spaniard was a shadow of his past self in the straight sets defeat.

Following Nadal's loss, Carlos Alcaraz won his singles match but Spain lost the tie after a deciding doubles defeat. It marked the end of Nadal's illustrious tennis career but his golfing days continue as he represented the Rafa Nadal Academy at the FGB Hexagonal Golf Circuit on Saturday, November 23.

At one point, Nadal was in first place, but he could not keep his lead and finished eighth out of 76 players. The 38-year-old completed the challenging Son Servera golf course and impressed by birdieing two par-5 holes, holes 9 and 16, and the n added another birdie on the par-3 hole 3.

The overall champion of the Q-Romia Hexagonal Circuit was the Terraza Balear team, representing Gunni Trentino, with Engel & Völkers Commercial and God Save the Par finishing in second and third place, respectively. The Rafa Nadal Academy claimed fourth place, while Ejusan Ecologic B rounded out the top five.

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"I love the game of golf in general" - When Rafael Nadal spoke about enjoying the low chances of injury in golf

Rafael Nadal at the Individual Professional Baleares Championship (Image: Getty)

Nadal's tennis career, despite its extraordinary success, was repeatedly hampered by injuries that tested his resilience. From chronic foot pain to recurring knee and wrist injuries, these physical setbacks often forced him to withdraw from tournaments and miss extended periods on the tour.

In 2012, during a conversation with The Miami Herald, Nadal said,

"I love the game of golf in general. I was watching all the afternoon the last round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational... Golf is great, because you are always in beautiful places when you are playing, and the risk for injury, as you know, is very small."

During an interview with Eurosport in 2023, Rafael Nadal shared that he would probably not stop competing altogether but would need to adapt to other activities if he could no longer play professionally.

He had mentioned golf at the time as a great alternative as he felt it is gentle on the body and safe and would allow him time with people he values.