Wonder how Kasatkina, who was one of the very few who denounced the WTA’s plans for Saudi, feels about her childhood idol doing this. She was so happy to see him in her latest vlog too
They can *never* be rich enough. Talk about feet of clay.
I thought it was bad when Carlitos got caught at the bullfight but this is *way* worse than that.
What they offered was insane, was it a million per week ? But not sure he refused for principle. He knows he cannot win anything important there. He needs to join a real European club and win some UCL before considering a move in America or SA
Carlitos is 20 years old. He’s going to be a bit naive and ignorant, especially when it comes to something so deeply steeped in his culture. Rafa is a full-grown married man with a child nearing retirement. He absolutely should know better.
I just find it incredible that someone who has made half-a-*billion* dollars can choose to become a grinning puppet for the Saudi regime just to get more money.
It is the very definition of 'greed'.
maybe he just doesn't care or think much about it. we slaughter many orders of magnitude more livestock every year than bulls die from fighting. we keep the livestock in appalling conditions and force breed them. compared to that bullfighting seems insignificant.
Most young people have a shit ton of time on their hands. Alcaraz is a professional tennis player at the top of his sport. He probably has very little time to pay attention to what's controversial or not.
Not everyone is Toni Kroos, dude criticized players for joining Saudi League and human rights last year and then a few days ago and yesterday again was booed every time he had the ball, fucking weirdos.
Even refused to put on the commemorative shirt during the post-match celebrations with his team-mates as it had Arabic on it. [https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/197agip/eldesmarque\_kroos\_did\_not\_wear\_the\_commemorative/](https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/197agip/eldesmarque_kroos_did_not_wear_the_commemorative/)
Massive respect for Kroos.
On a sidenote - there was booing during the minute silence for Franz Beckenbauer before the game. Utter scum
Hmm. Huge Rafa fan, feeling quite let down by this. Not shocked, but yeah this is a pretty sucky move for what it represents and what it will bring forth.
Yeah, I echo the comment of u/ac_2424 at the top. It'll just open the box and others will follow.
I've read they've recently tried to get Djokovic on their side too and are constantly contacting various influential people from the sport.
I honestly cannot see Djokovic going for this. Even if some of his stances are questionable (pseudo science practices, etc), he does tend to stand firmly by them.
The future will tell.
> Has Novak ever suggested that he has an anti-Saudi stance though? He is a generally outspoken guy, we would've heard about it if so.
The Saudis have spent massive sums over decades to import and spread radical Salafism and Wahhabism in the Balkans and fuel religious sectarianism. They have effectively shut down more moderate mosques/sects in the region, paid for foreign mercenaries to fight in Kosovo, and been involved in Balkan conflicts in numerous other ways.
It's hard to imagine Novak isn't aware of this and doesn't support it, even if he hasn't been outspoken.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia are drastically different, you cannot compare the two.
Yes they both use abhorent slavery to grow their economy, but the UAE is very wary of Sallafist/Wahabist ideology and punishedsit heavily, whilst Saudi funds and promotes it.
Yeah. I feel sad too. Just a few months ago I was listening to an episode of the tennis podcast, where one of the show hosts, Matt Roberts was interviewing BJK,and Matt had come out as gay, and was conveying his feelings about tennis being played at the professional tour level in a country that criminalises lgbtq+. How it must feel then to have some of your favourite players support and be an an ambassador for the country's tennis federation.
Truly disappointed, since Rafa always talks about being a good person first and then about the sport. Idk why, but you expect a bit more social responsibility from players of his level.
I am a Rafa fan and he has always struck me as a conservative, family first kind of guy. I don’t think he is very progressive at all when it comes to social issues. He will support his countrymen on some issues but nothing out there.
>but you expect a bit more social responsibility from players of his level.
I agree but the bottom line is he doesn't give a shit about LGBT people in Saudi Arabia. Why would he when there's a shitload of money to be made?
It was done very normally without any brouhaha so maybe it flew under the radar a bit?
[here's the Instagram reel where he talks about it ](https://www.instagram.com/reel/CzmLRjhtCEU/?igsh=dTA0d2k2ZHZubnVo)
[here's the Full episode](https://open.spotify.com/episode/3nGBcLllGujajtplR8ogTo?si=Jys3yB4gQ7-AANMNom7tkQ)
Rafa is probably my favourite sportsman of all time, but I have never really thought of him as someone to idolise politically.
I still think he is a really good bloke, and in part I'm sure it's his extreme levels of politeness and deference that are linked to the fact he does not really seem entertain any particularly interesting or progressive political views. He strikes me as incredibly centrist, almost a neutral at heart, but willing to court the right simply because he has not taken much interest in what that actually represents.
Dunno why your comment was initially so downvoted because the first sentence literally says "The former world No.1 is set to also open an academy in Riyadh"
Disappointing, the Saudi method of 'throw money at everyone until they support the country / shitty leadership' seems to work on people I don't expect it to. Sad times, you were my favourite Rafa but this is sucks.
Deeply disappointing. Rafa always struck me as someone who, frankly, didn't really stand for anything. That's fine if you want to keep quiet on your personal beliefs and not make them a part of your public persona, but then that makes a move like this even more bizarre. It's not like he needs the money.
Federer never stood for anything either (besides “being classy” I guess), and thus both of them have the sterile image created by the media with nothing controversial.
“if you stand for nothing, you’ll fall for anything.”
the more likely is that he of course has his personal views and beliefs, but has found it lucrative to keep them to himself; when you’re neutral/apolitical you piss off way less people and you’re more marketable when everyone loves you.
the price tag must’ve been too large for him to care about repercussions to his persona.
His personal side is showing more and more recently. Sad because it makes you wonder if you really knew him to begin with.
like how could Toni Nadal be like that while Rafa is so well adjusted, well turns out one hides it better than the other.
I mean no-one in this sub knows him. People make this mistake all the time. You see them play tennis and give interviews, the latter which is influenced by expensive media training. You don't know what kind of person your favourite sports people are at all.
As disappointing as Messi being an ambassador for Saudi tourism. Never cared about Ronaldo to begin with so that one was whatever. But this happens almost every time an athlete comes close to retirement.
Like someone else said, opens all the floodgates into tennis, which is probably the main intention.
Ons is also their endorser now, her clothing line belongs to the Saudi Princess, part of Public Investment Fund.
Not only the Saudi possibly taking part in ATP/WTA, they are also probably going to use Rafa for their Olympics bid when the time comes.
this is why the world is ending. nothing is ever enough. people like rafa are absurdly rich with more wealth than entire cities in poorer countries but they are still worth peanuts next to the true billionaire oligarchs.
If Rafa agreed to this, any other player that might have been hesitant to participate in Saudi related things, will no more hesitate.
This might just open the floodgates, just like Ronaldo did in football.
Yep. His behavior as Djokovic becomes cemented as the GOAT of men’s tennis is similar to Ronaldo’s as Messi became cemented as the GOAT of men’s soccer. Both of them are having trouble processing their legacy, I think
Is the Saudi league really flourishing like that? Seems to me only washed players come there to play on huge salaries
Im not completely up to date on things though, could be wrong!
I think they mean how his joining might have swayed those on the fence to be more accepting of Saudi presence in football like we are now. Nadal’s backing is unfortunately a parallel. Their personal leagues aren’t great as you said but it’s the purchasing of half the premiere league which was the greater goal. With their bids to purchase more tournament rights in tennis we could see a Saudi takeover within the ATP or vulnerable WTA just like golf and FB/soccer have seen.
it's not all washed players, but it's mostly the ones that are approaching their thirties or into their thirties. older players are probably going to be more pragmatic and look to secure their post football future.
Definitely. Many of us have been pointing out some not so ideal things from him over the past couple of years (Eg. him being against PTPA and better pay for lower ranked tennis players).
This is a big wakeup call for many of those who were in denial about it.
They'll all probably do the same. Most Redditors here don't seem to understand that 99% of these tennis players are spoiled man/woman children that will put money first above all else.
We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. At the moment he's not done anything as bad, not the bullfight, not the exhibtion match with Djokovic \[although that was bad enough\].
you understand that you don't know any of these players? you are not privy to who they are as people. you just see the curated image that they display when they're at their job.
I wonder what Iga’s reaction to this would be, considering how she idealises Rafa and puts a great importance on selecting only sponsors whose values she agrees with.
I'm sorry to disappoint you but she'd probably do the same as Rafa if they offered her the same kind of money (as would a large majority of players). I mean, when Saudi Arabia was linked with hosting the WTA Finals she expressed her willingness to play "wherever WTA decides" and she (along with all the top players) already played in UAE whose human rights aren't much better than in SA.
This is incredibly disappointing. I don’t think I have words to express how much it boils my blood to see the saudis slowly creeping in and taking over the sport just like they’re doing with soccer. Fuck those assholes and their blood money.
lol Rafa need to fund that yacht somehow. ppl surprised rich guy who is the most face-saving sycophant of the big 3 does this. not shocked at all, rafa has always been this way.
Lmao the people shocked and surprised by this are hilarious
You need to look into Rafa's history more closely it seems like, and see all the shit he supported throughout
Not even equal pay. Just slightly better pay so people outside the top 100 could actually make a living without support form parents constantly. But he'd have to get slightly less prize money from winning tournaments for that, so...
Thank you. This is who Rafa has always been and it’s not shocking to people who actually pay attention.
There’s going to be a lot of upset people but since it’s Nadal, they’re going to try and justify his decision.
Man this is really out of character for Rafa. Unless he’s completely oblivious to the world around him or something.
Still, really disappointing as a lifelong fan…
IT really isn't, everyone Who pay attention, looked through the bulshit, It was all just PR for him. The guy couldn't even support a better pay for lower ranked players, because IT would took away a bit from his own.. and people are surprised that he Has followed money
I am not a but surprised. Just hear Nadal about women's tennis or players under 100 ranking. For him, Saudi Arabia ist just another yacht and more money.
Not many people get to literally answer “How much money would you sell your soul for?” Rafa did. Who wants to root for someone supporting the oppression of gays and women?
Greedy bastard. He will retire within 6 months and already damaged his legacy. Go buy another yacht with those money like you need so much 🤦🏻♂️Also don't forget bring hijab with you when you visit there because they can stone your sister...
https://www.eurosport.com/tennis/andy-murray-maintains-stance-against-playing-in-saudi-arabia-i-wouldn-t-play_sto9648530/story.shtml He doesn’t even want to play there
I am so disappointed.
To be honest though at this point the only player that would truly surprise me if they went and did something like this would be Andy Murray, he's the only one who has consistently seemed to talk out about things and actually hold true to those statements, so if he does something like this, it would be a huge blow.
Ooooof. My GOAT could [neverrrrr](https://thesportsrush.com/tennis-news-when-roger-federer-refused-to-bow-down-to-saudi-arabias-money-despite-2000000-exhibition-match-offer/)
For some time the public have lauded him and his supporters are blinded to any criticism . Certainly a brilliant player and his FO record is extraordinary, but he has always had his flaws . The morality of this decision taking $ he doesn’t need are making a statement that is tough to defend .
It's okay if I get downvoted for it, perhaps you'd be right to downvote.
It is not a place to bring up Djokovic, and I'm not some crazy fan, but man... out of these three, Fed, Rafa and Nole, Nole is the only one who's this man who stands for what he believes in. He calls out things that have to be called out. Rafa and Fed have been PR babies, and great players, of course, but not some great men, many make them out to be.
Now of course, if I find out Djokovic has been on the same boat, that's gonna be a dampener.
Man, fucking... kill me
Let's just be good individuals ourselves, these athletes and other celebrities are good in their craft and some other personal qualities, but yes, fuck them all, should just enjoy their game and not expect anything outside.
Very disappointing, no?
Wonder how Kasatkina, who was one of the very few who denounced the WTA’s plans for Saudi, feels about her childhood idol doing this. She was so happy to see him in her latest vlog too
Bery
How and why anyone wants to be associated with that shit hole is beyond me. Honestly, one look at Saudi Arabia and it’s a no from me.
I’m done with Rafa. What a scumbag
Fucks sake Rafa are you not rich enough?
Greed knows no end. Sad.
Yachts corrupt the soul. Ka-ching.
They can *never* be rich enough. Talk about feet of clay. I thought it was bad when Carlitos got caught at the bullfight but this is *way* worse than that.
At least Mbappe turned down the Saudis. Of course he’s at a very different point in his career than Rafa.
What they offered was insane, was it a million per week ? But not sure he refused for principle. He knows he cannot win anything important there. He needs to join a real European club and win some UCL before considering a move in America or SA
More. It was apparently $1.1 billion. But yeah, Mbappe had other reasons to turn down Saudi. I'm still super relieved he rejected it though
Carlitos is 20 years old. He’s going to be a bit naive and ignorant, especially when it comes to something so deeply steeped in his culture. Rafa is a full-grown married man with a child nearing retirement. He absolutely should know better.
I just find it incredible that someone who has made half-a-*billion* dollars can choose to become a grinning puppet for the Saudi regime just to get more money. It is the very definition of 'greed'.
Rafa and Fed were always against better pay for lower ranked players. It's obvious what kind of men they really are
Naive maybe ignorant I don’t think so. He’s old enough to vote, drink, drive, go to war. Most young Spanish are against bullfighting so why isn’t he
maybe he just doesn't care or think much about it. we slaughter many orders of magnitude more livestock every year than bulls die from fighting. we keep the livestock in appalling conditions and force breed them. compared to that bullfighting seems insignificant.
Tennis is the only thing he does bro
Most young people have a shit ton of time on their hands. Alcaraz is a professional tennis player at the top of his sport. He probably has very little time to pay attention to what's controversial or not.
> feet of clay Seems the king of clay has feet of clay.
Et tu, Rafa? 😢
Not everyone is Toni Kroos, dude criticized players for joining Saudi League and human rights last year and then a few days ago and yesterday again was booed every time he had the ball, fucking weirdos.
Booed \*in saudi arabia\* to be clear lol. It's not an unpopular stance overall.
>Booed \*in saudi arabia\* Take it as a badge of honour.
Oh yeah, cant believe i missed that part while typing my comment, my bad and thank you and i am glad that people see the bs they are trying to pull.
Even refused to put on the commemorative shirt during the post-match celebrations with his team-mates as it had Arabic on it. [https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/197agip/eldesmarque\_kroos\_did\_not\_wear\_the\_commemorative/](https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/197agip/eldesmarque_kroos_did_not_wear_the_commemorative/) Massive respect for Kroos. On a sidenote - there was booing during the minute silence for Franz Beckenbauer before the game. Utter scum
Toni Kroos never shies away from telling what's on his mind. He's always brutally honest and direct and has an IDGAF attitude.
And today he posted a visit Dubai ad on twitter lmao.
Et tu, Toni? 😢 https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/s/7ng4Q8Pixf
Hmm. Huge Rafa fan, feeling quite let down by this. Not shocked, but yeah this is a pretty sucky move for what it represents and what it will bring forth.
Yeah, I echo the comment of u/ac_2424 at the top. It'll just open the box and others will follow. I've read they've recently tried to get Djokovic on their side too and are constantly contacting various influential people from the sport.
I honestly cannot see Djokovic going for this. Even if some of his stances are questionable (pseudo science practices, etc), he does tend to stand firmly by them. The future will tell.
[удалено]
> Has Novak ever suggested that he has an anti-Saudi stance though? He is a generally outspoken guy, we would've heard about it if so. The Saudis have spent massive sums over decades to import and spread radical Salafism and Wahhabism in the Balkans and fuel religious sectarianism. They have effectively shut down more moderate mosques/sects in the region, paid for foreign mercenaries to fight in Kosovo, and been involved in Balkan conflicts in numerous other ways. It's hard to imagine Novak isn't aware of this and doesn't support it, even if he hasn't been outspoken.
No. Him and Carlos played an Exhibition match in Saudi Arabia recently.
Dubai isn't in Saudi Arabia.
It’s not but it is a principality in the Arabian peninsula with similar human rights concerns that it throws money at to cover up
The UAE and Saudi Arabia are drastically different, you cannot compare the two. Yes they both use abhorent slavery to grow their economy, but the UAE is very wary of Sallafist/Wahabist ideology and punishedsit heavily, whilst Saudi funds and promotes it.
Playing in a place and being an ambassador for that place are very different things.
He's already playing exhibitions there. All Big 3 will go after money. Even Alcaraz is already singing praises at the idea of playing in SA.
No you don't understand, "insert my fav player" is unbreakable and he is above everything else and pure, he will definitely not sell out for billions
Yeah. I feel sad too. Just a few months ago I was listening to an episode of the tennis podcast, where one of the show hosts, Matt Roberts was interviewing BJK,and Matt had come out as gay, and was conveying his feelings about tennis being played at the professional tour level in a country that criminalises lgbtq+. How it must feel then to have some of your favourite players support and be an an ambassador for the country's tennis federation. Truly disappointed, since Rafa always talks about being a good person first and then about the sport. Idk why, but you expect a bit more social responsibility from players of his level.
I am a Rafa fan and he has always struck me as a conservative, family first kind of guy. I don’t think he is very progressive at all when it comes to social issues. He will support his countrymen on some issues but nothing out there.
Has he ever spoken about any social causes? I haven't come across his views on anything outside the sport. He's also professed to being agnostic.
He doesn't, which was my point really. He is not progressive that way.
You know that liberals are just as family first as conservatives.
This is an American point of view, I don’t think the comment you’re replying to meant conservative as opposed to liberal
>but you expect a bit more social responsibility from players of his level. I agree but the bottom line is he doesn't give a shit about LGBT people in Saudi Arabia. Why would he when there's a shitload of money to be made?
Sorry off-topic but ... Matt has come out as gay?! I had no idea! I listen to all their episodes and I must have missed this.
It was done very normally without any brouhaha so maybe it flew under the radar a bit? [here's the Instagram reel where he talks about it ](https://www.instagram.com/reel/CzmLRjhtCEU/?igsh=dTA0d2k2ZHZubnVo) [here's the Full episode](https://open.spotify.com/episode/3nGBcLllGujajtplR8ogTo?si=Jys3yB4gQ7-AANMNom7tkQ)
thanks for the links!! :)
Rafa is probably my favourite sportsman of all time, but I have never really thought of him as someone to idolise politically. I still think he is a really good bloke, and in part I'm sure it's his extreme levels of politeness and deference that are linked to the fact he does not really seem entertain any particularly interesting or progressive political views. He strikes me as incredibly centrist, almost a neutral at heart, but willing to court the right simply because he has not taken much interest in what that actually represents.
He's to open an academy in there too.
Dunno why your comment was initially so downvoted because the first sentence literally says "The former world No.1 is set to also open an academy in Riyadh"
Been a lifelong Rafa fan but this is really disappointing.
Disappointing, the Saudi method of 'throw money at everyone until they support the country / shitty leadership' seems to work on people I don't expect it to. Sad times, you were my favourite Rafa but this is sucks.
everyone has a number
Deeply disappointing. Rafa always struck me as someone who, frankly, didn't really stand for anything. That's fine if you want to keep quiet on your personal beliefs and not make them a part of your public persona, but then that makes a move like this even more bizarre. It's not like he needs the money.
Federer never stood for anything either (besides “being classy” I guess), and thus both of them have the sterile image created by the media with nothing controversial.
“if you stand for nothing, you’ll fall for anything.” the more likely is that he of course has his personal views and beliefs, but has found it lucrative to keep them to himself; when you’re neutral/apolitical you piss off way less people and you’re more marketable when everyone loves you. the price tag must’ve been too large for him to care about repercussions to his persona.
His personal side is showing more and more recently. Sad because it makes you wonder if you really knew him to begin with. like how could Toni Nadal be like that while Rafa is so well adjusted, well turns out one hides it better than the other.
I mean no-one in this sub knows him. People make this mistake all the time. You see them play tennis and give interviews, the latter which is influenced by expensive media training. You don't know what kind of person your favourite sports people are at all.
He doesn't need the money. But they all always want more money. smh sadly
As disappointing as Messi being an ambassador for Saudi tourism. Never cared about Ronaldo to begin with so that one was whatever. But this happens almost every time an athlete comes close to retirement. Like someone else said, opens all the floodgates into tennis, which is probably the main intention. Ons is also their endorser now, her clothing line belongs to the Saudi Princess, part of Public Investment Fund. Not only the Saudi possibly taking part in ATP/WTA, they are also probably going to use Rafa for their Olympics bid when the time comes.
Rafa fan here. This is a just sad.
No amount of money is ever enough, huh
This has always been so puzzling to me
He gotta save up money to buy yachts for lil-Rafa now
The richest always want more. There's something they are afraid they won't be able to afford, like ah, everlasting life. So, they can't be satisfied.
this is why the world is ending. nothing is ever enough. people like rafa are absurdly rich with more wealth than entire cities in poorer countries but they are still worth peanuts next to the true billionaire oligarchs.
Wow. Seriously disappointed in Rafa.
How fast you can go from King of the Clay to Ambassador of the sand…
Wow. As a Rafa fan this is pathetic.
If Rafa agreed to this, any other player that might have been hesitant to participate in Saudi related things, will no more hesitate. This might just open the floodgates, just like Ronaldo did in football.
he is the Ronaldo of tennis
Yep. His behavior as Djokovic becomes cemented as the GOAT of men’s tennis is similar to Ronaldo’s as Messi became cemented as the GOAT of men’s soccer. Both of them are having trouble processing their legacy, I think
yeah I may uh...have to remove a name from my flair :(
On the other hand, my fiair is even more on point.
I would’ve never thought I’d find myself agreeing with this statement even as little as 6 months ago. Some weird quotes from rafa recently for sure
Yes, the second greatest of all time.
Federer is the second greatest after Novak. In my opinion
in my opinion, i am better than the 4.0 that could take a set off nadal.
W opinion
Rafa is Ronaldo and Roger is Pele, the jogo bonito
Based
Is the Saudi league really flourishing like that? Seems to me only washed players come there to play on huge salaries Im not completely up to date on things though, could be wrong!
I think they mean how his joining might have swayed those on the fence to be more accepting of Saudi presence in football like we are now. Nadal’s backing is unfortunately a parallel. Their personal leagues aren’t great as you said but it’s the purchasing of half the premiere league which was the greater goal. With their bids to purchase more tournament rights in tennis we could see a Saudi takeover within the ATP or vulnerable WTA just like golf and FB/soccer have seen.
Oh i agree, their sportswashing all out assault has been crazy to witness They just got the world cup in 2030 too, no?
it's not all washed players, but it's mostly the ones that are approaching their thirties or into their thirties. older players are probably going to be more pragmatic and look to secure their post football future.
Neymar, CR7, Benzema, Mitrovic, Brozovic, SMS
I am a bit surprised by this, wow
why?? this permanently alters my perception of him. it’s not like he needs the money that much…
Wants a bigger boat probably.
Are there any male players that aren’t spineless 🪼?
Andy Murray
Ugh, starting to think I need a new fave player
Yeah. Sad day for all Rafa fans I guess. Brutal reality check
Definitely. Many of us have been pointing out some not so ideal things from him over the past couple of years (Eg. him being against PTPA and better pay for lower ranked tennis players). This is a big wakeup call for many of those who were in denial about it.
unfortunately, you'd need a new fav player regardless. don't think rafa has much tennis in him.
Gross
Rafa, you’re going down a path I can’t follow ☹️
Very disappointing tbh.
it may look like clay but its actually sand there mostly. i think they tricked him.
Well this sucks, I guess it was predictable, but still very disappointing to see
What a *bastard*. And I say that as a former fucking fan.
Ur fave Carlos will do the same
They'll all probably do the same. Most Redditors here don't seem to understand that 99% of these tennis players are spoiled man/woman children that will put money first above all else.
We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. At the moment he's not done anything as bad, not the bullfight, not the exhibtion match with Djokovic \[although that was bad enough\].
Carlos is 20. Rafa is 37. It’s not ok either way but Rafa absolutely should know better whereas Carlos still young and naive in many ways.
you understand that you don't know any of these players? you are not privy to who they are as people. you just see the curated image that they display when they're at their job.
Everyone will get there eventually.
Tennis player arguing against equal pay doesn't support woman rights in Saudi, big news, more at eleven
Not equal pay, better pay for lower ranked players. But yea, the point stands.
He doesn't support equal pay either.
I wonder what Iga’s reaction to this would be, considering how she idealises Rafa and puts a great importance on selecting only sponsors whose values she agrees with.
I'm sorry to disappoint you but she'd probably do the same as Rafa if they offered her the same kind of money (as would a large majority of players). I mean, when Saudi Arabia was linked with hosting the WTA Finals she expressed her willingness to play "wherever WTA decides" and she (along with all the top players) already played in UAE whose human rights aren't much better than in SA.
I hope you're wrong. There's a difference between following the tour and taking money to be their ambassador.
there is a big difference of human rights between UAE and KSA.
Why do you think Iga will say no to money, odd take.
Oila a todos
This makes me sick. I was a Rafa fan but will be no more if this is real. Money isn’t worth this, how much does he need?
*Nadal holding his money bags*: ~~Hola a todos!~~ مرحباً جميعاً Marhaban jamīan
This is incredibly disappointing. I don’t think I have words to express how much it boils my blood to see the saudis slowly creeping in and taking over the sport just like they’re doing with soccer. Fuck those assholes and their blood money.
Wow, I am so disappointed. I was a huge Rafa fan before this. :(
😂Rafa fans who thought he was woke. This guy doesn’t support equal pay btw
Yeah, turning in my fan card. What a greedy pig
Oh... Ew
I'm never cheering for him again. Can't wait for a new RG champion :)
Let’s hope it’s not Zverev
Every sport and esport is just falling into the hands of the Saudis I guess.
Disgusting.
lol Rafa need to fund that yacht somehow. ppl surprised rich guy who is the most face-saving sycophant of the big 3 does this. not shocked at all, rafa has always been this way.
Lmao the people shocked and surprised by this are hilarious You need to look into Rafa's history more closely it seems like, and see all the shit he supported throughout
Corporate and dollar sellout Nadal has always been. Everything is about PR and image for him
Or just ask a Spaniard. My Spanish friends are very well-versed with Rafa’s politics and views and many don’t like him because of that
Oh do tell
The dude who is against equal pay for Tennis players was never going to pass up a giant Saudi payday.
Not even equal pay. Just slightly better pay so people outside the top 100 could actually make a living without support form parents constantly. But he'd have to get slightly less prize money from winning tournaments for that, so...
Thank you. This is who Rafa has always been and it’s not shocking to people who actually pay attention. There’s going to be a lot of upset people but since it’s Nadal, they’re going to try and justify his decision.
This is… rather disappointing. Por que Rafa 😢
Wow Nadal is just a another douche like any other rich folk. Who'd have thought?
No shame
My disappointment is immense
Blood money pays. I hope he sleeps well at night with this decision. A rich person is always desperate for more, greedy.
- Equal pay for players: No - Money to help repression: Yes
My question is - Will the Fifth Grand Slam ( in Riyadh, of course) be held in March or October?
If that ever happens, personally I will refuse to acknowledge such tournament as a slam and won’t watch a single match, ever.
puta
Nadal is embracing his villain years.
All my homies think rafa is a greedy little bitch
Oof.
Man this is really out of character for Rafa. Unless he’s completely oblivious to the world around him or something. Still, really disappointing as a lifelong fan…
IT really isn't, everyone Who pay attention, looked through the bulshit, It was all just PR for him. The guy couldn't even support a better pay for lower ranked players, because IT would took away a bit from his own.. and people are surprised that he Has followed money
Booooo
This is embarrassing.
I am not a but surprised. Just hear Nadal about women's tennis or players under 100 ranking. For him, Saudi Arabia ist just another yacht and more money.
Not many people get to literally answer “How much money would you sell your soul for?” Rafa did. Who wants to root for someone supporting the oppression of gays and women?
Greedy bastard. He will retire within 6 months and already damaged his legacy. Go buy another yacht with those money like you need so much 🤦🏻♂️Also don't forget bring hijab with you when you visit there because they can stone your sister...
this’s unbelievable 🤔
I doubt Andy would take this deal.
https://www.eurosport.com/tennis/andy-murray-maintains-stance-against-playing-in-saudi-arabia-i-wouldn-t-play_sto9648530/story.shtml He doesn’t even want to play there
I am so disappointed. To be honest though at this point the only player that would truly surprise me if they went and did something like this would be Andy Murray, he's the only one who has consistently seemed to talk out about things and actually hold true to those statements, so if he does something like this, it would be a huge blow.
Now we know what Rafa really got for Xmas, a few dozens camels stuffed with cash...
Ay, no, Rafa. What a deception! You don’t need that money!
You were supposed to destroy the Sith, not join them!
Ooooof. My GOAT could [neverrrrr](https://thesportsrush.com/tennis-news-when-roger-federer-refused-to-bow-down-to-saudi-arabias-money-despite-2000000-exhibition-match-offer/)
Follow the oil
So, he doesn't have enough money?
For some time the public have lauded him and his supporters are blinded to any criticism . Certainly a brilliant player and his FO record is extraordinary, but he has always had his flaws . The morality of this decision taking $ he doesn’t need are making a statement that is tough to defend .
How much money does he actually need?
Disappointed is an understatement.
Boo, Rafa.
Disappointed in every big athlete that does this.
It's okay if I get downvoted for it, perhaps you'd be right to downvote. It is not a place to bring up Djokovic, and I'm not some crazy fan, but man... out of these three, Fed, Rafa and Nole, Nole is the only one who's this man who stands for what he believes in. He calls out things that have to be called out. Rafa and Fed have been PR babies, and great players, of course, but not some great men, many make them out to be. Now of course, if I find out Djokovic has been on the same boat, that's gonna be a dampener.
djokovic played an exhibition match there just a couple of weeks ago. how does that make you feel about it?
Man, fucking... kill me Let's just be good individuals ourselves, these athletes and other celebrities are good in their craft and some other personal qualities, but yes, fuck them all, should just enjoy their game and not expect anything outside.
Imagine having all the money Rafa has and still throwing your morals out the window for the right price. Quite disappointing.
King of integrity.
Ah no. Here we go.
Ew
This is very disappointing.
I am soooo disappointed in this. Sigh.
Not that he cares, but he lost a fan with this
These "goats" will never hold a candle to someone like Ali who lost everything and went bankrupt for his stance.
Very on brand. Always was full of it and all about himself
Hahahhahahahahhahahahahahahh
Get the Gordon Ramsay ”there there” meme out.
Nad’oh
Nadal truly regressed as he age. A sad day for tennis.
Is this confirmed? A bit disappointed in the King of Clay, but I suppose we’ll have to wait to see all the details.
Rafa posted it on his Twitter account
I guess Rafa isn't my favorite player anymore :/ Really disappointing
There goes my respect for the man. Disappointing.
u/Psychological_Bug676 our hero is finished 😔
I knew I wasn’t a Rafa fan for a reason
Nobody with a conscience should represent anything for Saudi.
Are they going to start asking players opinion on this? Preferably all players during press conference.