The withdrawal of Rafa Nadal It’s already real. The best athlete in the history of Spain played his last match as a professional this Tuesday, the day the Spanish Davis Cup team fell in the quarter-finals of the Davis Cup 2024 against the Netherlands. The Balearic tennis player said goodbye to tennis with a defeat Botic van de Zandschulp and after confirming the elimination, he received a nice tribute from Martin Carpena from Malaga.
Rafa Nadal said goodbye this week to tennis in the final phase of the Davis Cup and finally the journey to Spain was shorter than expected. The Spanish team fell at the first opportunity in the quarter-final against The Netherlands a Thursday afternoon which is already the history of Spanish tennis. Mainly because the best athlete in the history of Spain played his last match as a professional which ended in a straight sets defeat against Botic van de Zandschulp. Later, Alcaraz would begin a frustrated comeback in the doubles match.
After the defeat of the duo composed of Alcaraz and Granollers, the tournament organization organized a farewell ceremony for Rafa Nadal in which the winner of 22 Grand Slam tournaments bid farewell to the Spanish fans. “I tried to be a good person and I hope that is remembered,” said the best athlete in the history of Spain, visibly moved by the presence of the gathered friends and family to see on site the last day of the competition. Rafa Nadal as a professional tennis player.
Rafa Nadal’s pension after his retirement
This Wednesday, November 20 is the first day of Rafa Nadal as a former professional tennis player and on these occasions it is always recurring to talk about money. The Balearic tennis player was one of the athletes who earned the most money in the history of sport and as stated on the website of the ATPhas won a total of $134.9 million in prize money during his long professional career.
In addition to this, the magazine Forbes He estimates he earned a total of $415 million in sponsorships, so he estimates an amount close to $550 million before taxes. To this must be added the multiple investments of the best athlete in the history of Spain which continue to pay off for the tennis legend. It must be taken into account that Rafa Nadal He has been linked to Babolat, Nike all his life, he has worked at Kia since 2004 and his union with Richard Mille or Telefónica also dates back more than a decade. Everything therefore indicates that the union between the brands will continue to generate income for Nadal.
Rafa Nadal You can also participate, if you deem it necessary, in the ATP Players’ Retirement Plan, which aims to guarantee the future of tennis players thanks to the money extracted from the benefits that this organization offers in tournaments. In 2023, a total of 18.7 million was paid into the fund which provides a pension to players for 20 years after 50 years. Currently, 165 players qualify to access the plan and have received $113,600 last year 2023.
Are you entitled to a retirement pension?
This is a recurring question once the removal of Rafa Nadal. The fact that the Balearic tennis player has ended his tennis career does not mean that his professional life is over, since he can have certain contracts either as an employee or as a freelancer in the one of his companies. However, to be able to access a contributory retirement pension in Spain, you must have a minimum of 15 years of contributions, which residents of the Balearic Islands could respect.
In order to receive a maximum pension, which in 2024 is set at 3,175 euros per month (44,450 euros per year), Rafa Nadal You would encounter the problem that many elite athletes suffer from: they do not reach a minimum contribution to be able to access 100% of the pension. To be able to access 100% of the regulatory base, you would have to have been contributing for 38 years. Figures which, due to his age, are impossible to achieve for a Nadal who has more than his future assured, just like his son and all his descendants.
