Rafael Nadal Becomes Ambassador Of Saudi Arabia's Tennis Federation

Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal was appointed Saudi Arabia's tennis ambassador (Instagram/@rafaelnadal).

JAKARTA Rafael Nadal has been officially appointed as ambassador to the Saudi Arabian Tennis Federation. This move is part of the country's strategy to host a more professional tournament.

Saudi Arabia is currently aggressively expanding in the world of sports. The appointment of Nadal is a strategic effort to support these efforts.

"Wherever you look at Saudi Arabia, you can see growth and progress. I'm happy to be a part of that," Nadal was quoted as saying by Inside The Games.

Nadal's announcement to become an ambassador emerged after Saudi Arabia was so busy holding several events over the past year.

It was noted that the country hosted its first ATP Tour event, namely Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah. In addition, they also closed the year with the exhibition match between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka and Ons Jabeur.

Tidak main-main, Arab Saudi bahkan melakukan kerja sama selama lima tahun untuk membawa Next Gen ATP Finals ke Jeddah. Hal itu menunjukkan keseriusan mereka menggelar ajang besar olahraga tenis.

"This shows the country's intention to make tennis an important part of the international calendar. This (Next Gen ATP Finals) is the first of many professional tournaments to be held in this country," the Saudi Arabian Tennis Association said.

Nadal is considered by many to be one of the best players of the 20th century. He has collected 22 Grand Slam titles throughout his sensational career.

Earlier this year he scheduled to appear at the 2024 Australian Open after returning from injury. However, his injury recurred so he chose to resign from the event.