Rafael Nadal’s tennis career is now over and he will not extend it by becoming a coach, according to his compatriot Alex Corretja.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion retired from tennis only over a week ago during the 2024 Davis Cup Final. He lost his match against Botic van de Zandschulpand even though Carlos Alcaraz then managed to win his singles match to force the doubles decision, Spain lost that match, end Nadal’s career.

Even though his career ended only a few days ago, the 38-year-old Spaniard is an incredibly popular figure, so it’s no surprise that there is huge interest in his future.

Obviously, many of his fans would like to see Nadal return to tennis in some way, as his vast experience would definitely help him play a role in the sport.

On top of that, there were even rumors that he could become president of Real Madridas he is a long-time supporter of the club, and his name has been mentioned several times in connection with the role.

One of the most exciting roles, however, would be Nadal’s return to tennis as a coach. It’s something Andy Murray did this recently when he joined Novak Djokovic’s teamand it’s a natural evolution for many former players.

Mats Wilander even recently suggested that Nadal could become Carlos Alcaraz’s coachbut fellow former ATP player and current expert Alex Corretja disagrees.

Corretja spoke to Eurosport on Nadal’s future, and he explained that, in his opinion, it is almost impossible for the 14-time French Open champion to become a coach.

“In my opinion, I see it as impossible. 99.99% impossible. Because in this life you can’t say impossible. But I would be very, very surprised. I think he’s going to need time to achieve what he really wants to do.

“It’s a little different from Andy. I feel like Andy, even though he has four kids and he’s busy at home, maybe he has less things to do on a daily basis.”

Corretja believes Nadal likes spending time at home with his family, which is why he can’t see the recently retired legend traveling around the world with a player.

Corretja could nevertheless imagine Nadal accepting a consulting role, for example for his favorite club, Real Madrid, but nothing that would require him to spend time away from his family, recently raised by another member, his son.

“But Rafa, he lives at home, you know, in Manacor, and he has his academy. I don’t really see him moving that much from there. I felt like Andy maybe wanted to feel the experience of continuing to travel, you know.”

“Rafa, I don’t really see him as a coach or a consultant for anyone. I could see him more as a consultant for, say, Real Madrid. Something big, something he could add to the team from time to time, I can give them a few speeches.

“I saw him for a short time. Three months or six months. But on a daily basis, I don’t really see him.”