Rafael Nadal Gets Blunt Assessment of his Golf Swing by Former Champion: “Don’t Take This Personally”

Rafael Nadal met Rory McIlroy and other top golfers at the Augusta National.

Rafael Nadal Gets Blunt Assessment of his Golf Swing by Former Champion: “Don’t Take This Personally”

Rafael Nadal

In Short
  • Rafael Nadal is competing at The Masters for the first time in his career.
  • Andy North provided a candid assessment of Nadal's golf swing during an interview.
  • Nadal praised the magical atmosphere of Augusta National, highlighting its unique rules.

While tennis fans will be glued to their TV for the Monte Carlo Masters, they will have at the back of their minds that Rafael Nadal is also competing at Augusta National in Georgia. Nadal is at The Masters for the first time in his career, and he was interviewed by two-time U.S. Open champion Andy North.

Nadal will bring his skills to the golf course at Augusta National. He arrived at the event on Friday (April 10) and was spotted with Ana Patricia Botín, President of Banco Santander, and the only person in Spain to own a green jacket.

The Spanish legend was seen having a chat with top golfers, including Tommy Fleetwood, Rory McIlroy, and Jon Rahm, and greeted fellow Spanish golfer Sergio Garcia. Nadal’s relationship with golf goes back a long time, when he used the sport as an escape from the competitiveness and pressure of the tennis tour. He focused more on the sport after retirement.

The 39-year-old has his own tour, Spin&Swing, which is organized by the Rafael Nadal Academy, but it’s focused on charitable courses. During his playing days, he admitted that he looked up to golf legend Tiger Woods and that the American has been a source of inspiration to him.

Despite having a special interest in golf, Nadal has yet to become a professional golfer. He’s known to be an exceptionally skilled amateur golfer who has competed in high-level regional tournaments. During an interview on ESPN via ATP, Andy North admitted that he admires the 22-time Grand Slam champion’s skills on the golf course:

Rafa, I admired you for years. I’m really excited about looking at your Golf swing. Please don’t take this personally, okay? A little bit tight. It looks like a little bit of a two-handed forehand, but it really looks good on your left side. I know you really love this game, and you’ve been working hard at getting better all the time, but maybe just relaxing your arms a little bit, you’ve got a good shoulder turn. There’s a lot to work with there.

Nadal was last seen in a tour-level match at the Australian Open in January. He was in the stands during the championship battle between fellow compatriot Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. Alcaraz won the match in four sets. Nadal recently defended the 22-year-old after his disappointing outing at the Sunshine Double.

Rafael Nadal praises the environment of the Augusta National

Rafael Nadal was spotted with Iga Swiatek recently at his academy in Spain. He trained with Swiatek and worked alongside his ex-coach, Francisco Roig, who is now the coach of Swiatek. Swiatek had arrived at the Rafael Nadal Academy days after her shocking second-round exit at the Miami Open in Florida.

Rafael Nadal Roland Garros 2025
Rafael Nadal (image via Corrine Dubreuil)

However, Nadal arrived for The Masters in time, and he’s now focused on the golf tournament. During the aforementioned interview, the former World No.1 praised the atmosphere of the event, stressing that the Augusta National looked magical and beautiful:

The atmosphere is huge. It’s difficult to compare to something else, I think. The fact that nobody can have a cell phone, it’s a brilliant idea, brilliant rule, from my point of view, because everybody’s just focused on what the eyes can see. This place is magical. For a sports fan and for a golf fan like me, I’ve followed this tournament since I was a small kid.

Nadal won the Rolex Monte Carlo Masters 11 times in his career, more than any player on tour. He won the French Open 14 times, winning 112 matches at the Roland Garros. The Spaniard is regarded as one of the greatest players to ever grace the tennis court, particularly the clay court on tour.

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