Rafael Nadal shares whether his plans to become a coach in the future have changed, ‘never say never’

Rafael Nadal remains a hugely relevant figure in the tennis world, even now, nearly two years on from his retirement.

That is likely why his recent exhibition match, his first since calling time on his career, was so sought after, as he played alongside Andy Murray among other legends of their generation and beyond in honour of the ten-year anniversary of his academy.

He clearly boasts a great friendship with the Scotsman, who seemingly rushed back into coaching not long after his retirement.

And now, speaking to the media, Rafael Nadal has discussed whether he has any interest in following in these footsteps.

Rafael Nadal refuses to rule out coaching in the future

Discussing this topic back in July, Nadal insisted he had no time for coaching , but was happy to help any player who needed it.

This open invitation has been taken up by some big-name stars, most notably Alexander Zverev. Iga Swiatek did also train with Nadal earlier this year, likely aided by his relationship with Francisco Roig, her coach.

However, when asked again this weekend about whether his opinion on the matter had changed, he reiterated: "To be a coach? Never say never. But, I have two young children.

"I have many other things in my life today that occupy me on a daily basis, so I don't think that my current life allows me to be or imagine being a coach in the way that it requires to be a good coach and dedicate yourself professionally to serving a professional player as they deserve.

"So it's not in my head at all right now. I don't know in five years from now what might happen."

Then, speaking about how it felt to be back on court again, the Spaniard admitted that whilst it was fun, it did bring back some painful memories.

Nadal added: "Grabbing the racquet will always be fun for me, but that's another matter from closing the door on exhibitions – I'll play them, but it's a slow process."

"In the end, I finished my career with a lot of physical problems; the racquet reminds me of many of the pains I went through. I can live better than I expected, and for me, that's very important after spending so many years living something else."

Nadal won his own Rafa Nadal Academy Slam over Murray, which was formatted over seven first-to-ten-point doubles matches, each with different partners.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion had a team boasting Carlos Moyà, David Ferrer and Richard Gasquet, whilst Murray had Marat Safin, Fabio Fognini and Dominic Thiem on his side.