This year Wimbledon has been full of former tennis legends looking down upon the future unfurling itself on center court. Just now, in the women’s singles finals Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova watched as Iga Swiatek made history, winning the first match in 114 years without conceding a single set to her opponent. Earlier in the week, 8-time Wimbledon Champion Roger Federer watched a series of matches, including compeer Novak Djokovic’s round 16 clash against Alex de Minaur and he also managed to catch young Mirra Andreeva knocking out Emma Navarro in the same round, but there will be one missing presence in the stands during tomorrow’s final: Rafael Nadal.

Two-time Wimbledon champion and all-around legend Rafael Nadal will not be attending the Wimbledon finals this year, but the reason might be different than what you expect: Nadal’s wife, Maria Francisca Perello, whom he married in 2019 is 8 months pregnant with their second child! Nadal already shares a soon-to-be three-year-old son, Rafael Nadal Jr with Perello, and now, as they prepare to welcome their second, Nadal spoke about how he is relishing his time at home.

Considering the superstar only retired in 2024, two years after the birth of his first son, here is a period of his life where he can really make the most of his free time and enjoy being with his family. “It’s my first summer in Mallorca ever,” Nadal said in a recent interview, going on to talk about his exercise routine and how he’s playing more golf than tennis during this time at home. But though Rafa won’t be there to cheer on fellow Spaniard and dear friend Carlos Alcaraz as he takes on the formidable Jannik Sinner in the finals tomorrow, he is sharing his thoughts on the player and the tournament at large.

Rafael Nadal thoughts on Carlos Alcaraz, Emma Raducanu and Wimbledon 2025

When asked about his thoughts on the current world No. 2, Carlos Alcaraz, Nadal said that if he were 22 and in tomorrow’s final against Alcaraz, he “could very well lose because Carlos is an incredible player. And on grass I think he does better things than I did because he has a better serve and a better volley than I had at his age.” This is saying a lot, but considering that Nadal was around 22 when he won his first Wimbledon title, and Alcaraz, now 22, already has two of them, and in 2023 was the first man outside the big four (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray) who won the title in 21 years, it also feels like a fair claim.

Speaking of the big four, Nadal didn’t fail to mention his relationship with a particular member of this iconic group, Roger Federer, with whom he shared a deeply emotional rivalry: “I chat a bit more with Federer, who is in a new stage of his life; we talk every now and then.” Nadal said of his relationship with his age-old competitor and friend.

Nadal went on to talk about his favorite women players, commending current titleholder Iga Swiatek and saying that Emma Raducanu has great potential, he also made sure not to stir the pot too much by making no comment on the rumored romance between the upcoming mixed doubles dream team of Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu.

One of Rafael Nadal’s hot takes on Wimbledon 2025 was certainly his views on the new line-calling technology that has replaced the human line judges. Considering there were some big technical fails with that this year, it’s no surprise that Nadal said, “I preferred the old thrill when it was people who called a ball in or out and we players had the opportunity to ask to challenge the call. As a spectator, I like seeing a court with line judges.”