Tennis legend Rafael Nadal is actively building a post-retirement business empire, expanding his Zel Hotels brand and growing the Rafa Nadal Academy globally. Set to retire in November 2024, he aims to create a legacy off the court, drawing on lessons from his athletic career to navigate the competitive worlds of hospitality, education, and sports. Nadal also offered insights into the recent tennis prize money dispute, advocating for a balanced, long-term agreement between players and Grand Slams.
Tennis icon Rafael Nadal is making a strategic transition from the courts to the boardroom, actively expanding his business interests across hospitality, education, and sports. Having spent most of his professional life living out of hotels, Nadal describes his venture into the hospitality sector as a natural evolution. “That’s what I did during half of my life, and I know what I like the most,” he shared with CNBC.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion, set to retire from competitive tennis in November 2024, recently inaugurated his fourth Zel Hotels property in Fuerteventura, Canary Islands. Founded in 2022 in partnership with Meliá Hotels International, the Zel brand rapidly expanded, with its first hotel, ZEL Mallorca, opening in 2023, followed by locations in Costa Brava, Spain, and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
Nadal expressed his ambition to maintain an active post-tennis life: “I am not the kind of guy that likes to wake up in the morning and don't know what to do, and my goal was to keep going.” He elaborated on his vision to Tania Bryer for "CNBC Meets":
"In the same way I built a legacy on the court, now is the moment to build a legacy outside of the court."
Rafael Nadal
Former tennis champion.
The Mallorca-born legend notes a growing consumer trend towards spending on experiences, positioning hospitality as a promising investment. However, he acknowledges the competitive nature of the industry, calling brand building “a challenge in the beginning.”
How sports prepared Nadal for business
Nadal, renowned for his record 14 French Open titles and two Olympic gold medals, credits his athletic career with instilling crucial business acumen. He learned “to tolerate the frustration, you learn to work as a team, you learn to accept that sometimes you lose, you need to manage the victories, because it doesn't matter if you win, you have to play the next day.” Reflecting on his 2023 hip surgery and eventual retirement decision, he noted, “It was not easy, but then when I knew that it was the end for me, it was a change in my life after doing almost the same thing all my life, but I was prepared for it, and I was prepared to have the next chapter in my life.”
The tennis prize money dispute
The issue of tennis prize money recently made headlines as several leading players, including Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, briefly boycotted a protest before engaging in talks with Wimbledon organizers, the All England Club. Wimbledon subsequently announced a 20% increase in prize money to £64.2 million ($85 million), its largest ever, though players had pushed for a £71 million fund, or roughly 16% of tournament revenue, with broader demands for 22% of Grand Slam revenues by 2030.
Nadal acknowledges both sides of the argument, emphasizing that while players perform, tournament organizers invest year-round in preparation. He pointed out the significant increase in prize money over the last 15 years, surpassing average job growth. Nadal advocates for a long-term fixed agreement between players and Grand Slams, where tournaments commit to a fair annual percentage increase, ensuring “10 years of calm.”
Why Nadal is investing in hospitality, education, sports
Managed largely through his family holding company, Aspemir, Nadal’s diverse business portfolio includes hospitality, education, and sports. His pioneering venture, the Rafa Nadal Academy, established in Mallorca in 2016, offers elite tennis coaching and has since expanded globally with academies and sports centers in Mexico, Greece, Kuwait, Hong Kong, and the Dominican Republic.
“I think every day you have more and more people with more information that taking care of your body is super important now, so investing in education for kids, investing in well-being, and in sports,” Nadal stated. In 2025, Nadal sold a 44.9% stake in the Academy to private investment firm GPF Capital for approximately 94 million euros ($107 million), retaining majority control. He explained, “This is something that, of course, is a lifetime project for me, very personal, but at the same time, the company has grown over the last couple of years, and we felt that we needed some help to keep growing and to keep expanding.”
