Nadal, the former world number one and 22-time Grand Slam singles champion, will retire during next month’s Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.
Holger Rune has stated that he believes Rafael Nadal “shouldn’t retire” after witnessing the Spaniard’s rigorous practice at the Six Kings Slam.
Though not an official event, the Six Kings Slam will be one of Nadal’s last appearances on court as a professional player.
The Spaniard has been dealing with medical concerns for the previous two seasons and has not played an official match since the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Nadal and Rune did not get to play each other in Riyadh, since both players lost their first matches, but they did practice together during the exhibition.
And, speaking at the Paris Masters, the Danish star said that he was caught away by Nadal’s drive in practice and questioned whether the Spaniard should retire.
He said: “Do I get inspiration from other players or do I just focus on myself? A bit of both.
“I think inspiration is important, but I always try to be a beast, whether it’s in training, in preparation or in a match, I always want to push myself.
“You get inspiration from players like Djokovic or Rafa Nadal. I remember training with Rafa in Riyadh and it’s surprising: this guy is almost retired and he trains with such intensity that you think: ‘You shouldn’t retire’.
“He’s had an incredible career and he’s achieved so much, it’s not for nothing that Rafa and Novak both give their all in every training session.”
Rune attended the exhibition event in Riyadh alongside Nadal and Djokovic, as well as Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Daniil Medvedev.
Despite losing to Alcaraz in his first encounter, the 21-year-old stated he had “a lot of fun” spending time with his fellow ATP stars.
“It was an interesting experience,” Rune joked. “It was a lot of fun, it was great to be able to compete in such a small event.
“I only played one match, against Carlos, but to be able to train with the boys all week and spend time with them off the court – I already know them, but it brought us closer, we had a lot of activities together, it was really fun.”
Rune, the 2022 Paris Masters champion, will play French lucky loser Arthur Cazaux in the third round on Thursday in Bercy to try to win his second title.
