Nadal shocked Murray to coach Djokovic and responded to the possibility of becoming a coach, convinced of Sinner's innocence

Nadal announced his retirement after the Davis Cup in October 2024. After retiring, the Spanish legend focused mainly on spending time with his family, while also being busy with several business and brand collaborations.

At this year's Laureus World Sports Awards, Nadal won the "Sports Icon Award". He will receive a special tribute on the first day of the French Open on 25 May at the Philippe Chartier Stadium to celebrate his record 14 French Open titles.

In an interview with CNN after the awards ceremony, the 38-year-old Nadal was asked if he would be interested in coaching players after retiring from football, like Murray. "I mean, you can never say 'never' in life, but it's hard for me to imagine myself doing that kind of thing right now," he replied...... That's not at all what I'm thinking about at this stage. I'm at another stage of my life and I don't think I'm going to travel with players right now. ”

Nadal has stated that he has no intention of coaching and touring with the players at this time, but he has not completely ruled out the possibility and still leaves room for the future.

Since the 2025 Australian Open, Murray and Djokovic have started a coach-player partnership. Murray announced his retirement after the Paris 2024 Olympics and soon became Djokovic's full-time coach.

Initially, the partnership was meant to help Djokovic prepare for the Australian Open, but the partnership continues to this day. During this time, Djokovic reached the semifinals of the Australian Open and the final of the Miami Open. In an interview, Nadal said he was initially surprised by the collaboration, but later understood the reasoning behind it.

"It was a bit of a surprise to me that Murray started a new project right after he retired and had to travel everywhere," Nadal said. "But I understand that working with Djokovic is attractive and will inspire his enthusiasm. I also understand that Djokovic will choose a strong opponent from the past, one of the biggest opponents as a coach, and that will definitely give him extra motivation. He added.

Murray remains part of Djokovic's team, and Djokovic has described the partnership as "indefinite". He also said he was pleased with his work with Murray and that the two seemed to enjoy each other's company.

At the Laureus World Sports Awards 2025 ceremony last week, Nadal was awarded the Sports Icon Award. The award recognises the excellence of his career over the past two decades and is an important honour following his official retirement in November 2024.

After the ceremony, Nadal gave an exclusive interview to CNN. In the interview, he talks about the suspension of world No. 1 Janick Sinner for a drug test problem. Earlier this year, Sinner was banned for three months after he was found to have banned steroids in his body last year.

In response to the incident, Nadal expressed his unwavering support for Sinner. He expressed his belief that Sinner had no subjective intent to violate the rules and that he did not receive special treatment because of his status as the world's No. 1.

"First of all, I am 100% convinced that he is innocent. I don't think he intentionally broke the rules at all, so I trust him completely. From my point of view and understanding, I don't think he got any special treatment just because he was number one in the world. Nadal said.

As a veteran player with extensive experience in anti-doping testing, Nadal underlined his trust in the existing anti-doping regime. He pointed out that the system is so strict that it is difficult for any minor violation to escape detection.

"I have a lot of trust in the system. I have personally experienced the testing process for 20 years and know the rigor of every link...... I can't think differently because if I don't believe in the system, it means that the world we live in is unfair. And I firmly believe that at this point we are living in a fair world. He added.

Sinner's three-month ban ends on May 4, when he will qualify for next week's Italian Open. The tournament was the stage of Nadal's career, where he lifted the trophy a record 10 times. And the 23-year-old Sinner will also usher in a crucial battle to return to the game at "home", and strive to start his own glorious era.(Source: Tennis Home Author: Spark)