Rafael Nadal is regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, but the Spaniard has another sporting passion - and he's set to pursue it in his retirement

Rafael Nadal called time on his illustrious tennis career earlier this month, but the Spaniard is already looking ahead to his next sporting challenge

Nadal put a curtain on his astonishing career last week and Jim Courier would like to the Spaniard publish a book.

He also spent his entire career battling his own body, with Nadal’s injuries both acute and chronic carving the trajectory of his career and to an extent the way he played tennis. King of clay. Warrior.

Rafael Nadal’s relatively low-key retirement ceremony at the Davis Cup has been defended by the head of the International Tennis Federation as being dictated by the 22-time Grand Slam champion’s wishes.

Tennis legend Roger Federer wrote a heartfelt letter to Rafael Nadal on Tuesday before the Spanish star joins him in retirement. Nadal is participating in the Davis Cup in Malaga, Spain this week before saying goodbye to the sport he has played professionally since 2001.

I have never seen a guy more pumped watching another team try and win a match... He was just so into it. He loves tennis."

Rafael Nadal's tennis career includes 22 Grand Slam trophies, a record 14 French Open titles and plenty of other significant numbers.