Rafael Nadal Returns to Tennis Court Practicing with Rising Star Alexandra Eala

Rafael Nadal picked up his racket again this week for the first time in months. But this wasn’t some dramatic comeback story.

It’s been exactly a year since the Spanish legend hung up his tennis shoes for good. And he spent some time on court with one of the WTA’s rising stars, Alexandra Eala.

Nadal’s career ended at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, and honestly, it wasn’t the fairy tale ending anyone wanted. Spain crashed out in the quarterfinals against the Netherlands, with Nadal losing to Botic van de Zandschulp in what turned out to be his final match.

Since then, the 39-year-old has kept things pretty quiet.

The only real exception was an emotional ceremony at Roland Garros earlier this year. They honored his incredible 14 French Open titles there, permanently marking his legacy on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

But here’s something interesting Nadal mentioned a few months back – he’s not in pain anymore. For years, he pushed his body through hell trying to stay competitive at the highest level.

Now? He can actually enjoy playing tennis again.

That’s exactly what happened during his recent practice session with Eala. If you don’t know who she is yet, you should. The young player just had a breakthrough run at the 2025 Miami Open, reaching the semifinals and beating Iga Swiatek along the way.

Nadal shared a video of their practice session on his X page. You can see him tying his shoes before hitting with Eala, who must’ve been absolutely thrilled to train with one of tennis’s all-time greats.

It wasn’t the first time Eala has practiced at the Nadal Academy. But getting to hit directly with Rafa himself? That’s a whole different level.

We couldn’t really tell how sharp Nadal looked during the session. But his caption afterwards was pretty telling.

"One year later, it felt great to be back on a tennis court! It was great to practice with you @AlexEala05! Next time I will be stronger."

Next time I will be stronger. That sounds like someone who’s planning to do this again.

Could we see Nadal and Federer on court together again?

Speaking of comebacks that aren’t really comebacks, there’s been talk about Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer playing exhibition matches.

Their rivalry gave us some of the greatest tennis matches ever played. Most people still think their 2008 Wimbledon final – which Nadal won 9-7 in the fifth set – is the best match in tennis history.

Sure, they had their moments of tension during their careers. Federer once complained about how long Nadal took between points during their 2014 Australian Open semifinal.

But their relationship grew stronger as they got older.

Nadal even played doubles with Federer in what turned out to be Federer’s last professional match at the 2022 Laver Cup. When Nadal retired at the Davis Cup Finals, Federer wrote this really emotional post about their friendship.

Earlier this year, Toni Nadal said that Federer and his nephew will play exhibitions soon. That hasn’t happened yet, but it feels like a matter of when, not if.

Think about it – these two could probably sell out stadiums anywhere in the world. The question isn’t whether it’ll happen, but where they’ll choose to do it first.

For now, we’ll have to settle for watching Nadal hit casually with rising stars like Eala. But seeing him back on court, pain-free and actually enjoying tennis again?

That’s pretty amazing in itself.