Rafael Nadal was named ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation on Monday, as the Gulf kingdom aims to host more professional tournaments as part of a broader sports push.
“Everywhere you look in Saudi Arabia, you can see growth and progress and I’m excited to be part of that,” the 37-year-old Spaniard, winner of 22 Grand Slams, said in a federation press release.
“I continue to play tennis as I love the game. But beyond playing I want to help the sport grow far and wide across the world and in Saudi there is real potential.”
Nadal was due to feature in the ongoing Australian Open having been out of the game since injuring his hip at the 2023 edition.
After winning his opening two matches at the warm-up event in Brisbane, however, to tore a muscle and was forced to miss the first Grand Slam of the year.
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