Rafael Nadal: his charity work and foundation | ATP Tour | Tennis

Rafael Nadal

The off-court Nadal: his foundation and much more

A look at the Spanish great’s charity work

November 20, 2024

To celebrate the end of Rafael Nadal‘s historic career at this week’s Davis Cup Final 8, ATPTour.com is publishing a series of articles paying tribute to the Spaniard. View our #RafaSiempre series.

Being a great athlete goes far beyond the results achieved in competition.

Rafael Nadal understood this from the beginning. He involved himself in numerous social projects and created the Rafa Nadal Foundation in 2010, a platform that has enabled him to use sport as a source of aid, helping children and young people towards a quality future.

“I’ve always believed that for personal and professional development, opportunities are essential,” explained Nadal in a report from the foundation published on its 10th anniversary. “In 2010, we understood that I was in a position in which I could help create them, and that was when we decided to launch this life project. I honestly never imagined that we would be able to create the organisation that the Rafa Nadal Foundation is today.”

Throughout all these years, the Rafa Nadal Foundation has provided for countless children, establishing a wide range of programmes such as the NETS project (Nadal Educational Tennis School) in India, the ‘More Than Tennis’ meetings (where athletes with intellectual disabilities get together from schools all across Spain), the Olazabal and Nadal golf tournaments, the opening of foundation centres in Palma, Valencia and Madrid, charity races, and countless other initiatives.

Today, the foundation has several active projects such as ‘Play All’, which directly benefits socially vulnerable children and teenagers and seeks to provide access to tennis for those for whom it is difficult to participate in the sport.

‘Study&Play’ is another of the current projects. It endeavours to offer young people who play a sport regularly and with dedication the opportunity to combine practice and competition with their education, by accessing scholarships granted by US universities.

Rafael Nadal established the Rafa Nadal Foundation in 2010.” style=”width:100%;” src=”https://www.atptour.com/-/media/images/news/2024/11/14/15/44/rafa-nadal-foundation-embed.jpg”>

_{^{Photo Credit: Rafa Nadal Foundation}}

As well as the work carried out through his foundation, Nadal has never hesitated to roll up his sleeves and collaborate in various causes over the years.

For example, the Spaniard participated in the ‘Match for Africa’, an exhibition he played with Roger Federer on 21 December, 2010. First, the Spaniard and Swiss faced each other in the Hallenstadion in Zurich, Switzerland, in an event to raise money for the Roger Federer Foundation, which supports education, transport and food for children in Africa.

The following day, Nadal and Federer played again in the Caja Mágica in Madrid. This time the money raised went to the Rafa Nadal Foundation.

In 2020, Nadal and Federer participated in the sixth edition of ‘Match for Africa’. It took place on 7 February in Cape Town, South Africa, the country of birth of Federer’s mother and the focal point of his charity foundation. Before facing each other in singles, Nadal and Federer joined Trevor Noah (presenter of ‘The Daily Show’) and Bill Gates in a doubles match. The event drew a crowd of 51,954, raising 3.5 million dollars for children’s education in Africa.

Rafael Nadal and Trevor Noah at the sixth edition of ‘Match for Africa’ in February 2020.” style=”width:100%;” src=”https://www.atptour.com/-/media/images/news/2024/11/15/15/10/rafael-nadal-trevor-noah-match-for-africa-2020.jpg”>

_{^{Photo Credit: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images/Getty Images}}

In 2018, during the floods in Sant Llorenç des Cardassar, which caused 13 deaths and damaged almost 300 buildings in Mallorca, Nadal immediately got to work, grabbing a broom and helping evacuate the water alongside the other residents, helping the local population. He also donated one million euros to the victims.

Nadal was also actively involved during the health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Spanish tennis player joined forces with basketball player Pau Gasol and the Red Cross to raise 11 million euros for people affected by the pandemic, buying medical materials, building infrastructure and contributing to the most vulnerable families.

Simply put, the legacy the Spaniard leaves in his wake as he retires from the game transcends that of his titles and sporting success.

Editor’s note: This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es.