WATCH: Rafael Nadal steals the spotlight as he takes in thrilling all-Spanish battle at Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah

Rafael Nadal recently stole the spotlight at the NextGen ATP Finals. As Spanish youngsters Martin Landaluce and Rafael Jodar battled amongst themselves, Nadal was in the audience at Jeddah watching them play.

The NextGen ATP Finals is an exhibition event that features eight of the world’s best players aged 20 or younger. The tournament has chronicled the rise of several major tennis stars, including World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz, four-time Grand Slam champion Jannik Sinner, former World No.1 Daniil Medvedev and many more.

As a handful of rising stars competed at the 2025 NextGen ATP Finals, it was tennis legend Rafael Nadal who stole the spotlight with his appearance in the audience during Martin Landaluce and Rafael Jodar’s clash. Watch a video of the moment below:

Landaluce and Jordar delivered a thrilling match, with the latter eventually claiming a 4-3(7), 4-1, 4-3(2) win. However, neither of the two Spanish players were able to advance to the semifinals as America's Learner Tien and Norway’s Nicolai Budkov Kjaer finished at the top in the Blue Group.

Rafael Nadal talks about finding a successor in tennis and the future of the game

Nadal at the VTEX Connect Europe (Image Source: Getty)

Many consider Rafael Nadal to be the greatest Spanish tennis player of all time. When the 22-time Grand Slam champion called time on his career, fans wondered who would carry the nation's legacy of excellency forward.

In an interview with Al Arabiya English, Nadal shared that he himself doesn't seem the need for a ‘successor’, saying,

“Nobody needs a successor. I think (there is) going to come other players that they're going to be, someone's maybe going to be better than me. (But) probably someone's going to try hard and not going to achieve what I achieved but at the end tennis will always have champions.”

He went on to heap praise on Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, adding,

“Now Novak is still there competing and winning and of course we have two new great champions like Jannik and Carlos. They are great ambassadors for our sport and they are achieving amazing numbers and I wish them all the very best especially. (I hope that) they stay away from injuries that are going to give them the chance to have a long and very successful career.”

Rafael Nadal is undoubtedly one of the best tennis players of all-time. Alongside Djokovic and Roger Federer, the Spaniard dominated the world of men's singles for nearly two decades, winning 22 Grand Slam titles, 36 Masters trophies and an Olympic gold medal.

What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here

Edited by Riddhi Acharya