Rafael Nadal is building a global business portfolio at a pace that rivals his playing career, with the 22-time Grand Slam champion announcing a new Rafa Nadal Tennis Center in Bahrain and a limited-edition wine from Spain’s Jumilla region weeks after confirming plans for a major sports complex in Málaga. The 38-year-old Spaniard, who retired from professional tennis in November 2024, has steadily converted his brand into ventures spanning hospitality, real estate, supplements and wine, Emprendedores reported.
The Bahrain project marks the latest step in the international expansion of the Rafa Nadal Academy, which already operates tennis centers in Kuwait, Marbella, Mexico, Greece, Hong Kong, the Dominican Republic and Egypt, with additional locations planned for Brazil and Indonesia, according to the academy’s website. The new facility, developed in partnership with the company Harve, will be located on Amwaj Islands and is scheduled to open in late 2027, combining the academy’s training methodology with Harve’s experience in high-end tourism developments.
Bahrain Center Anchors Middle East Push
The Amwaj Islands site will become the academy’s second presence in the Gulf region, following the existing center in Kuwait. Emprendedores reported that the Bahrain complex represents a consolidation of Nadal’s strategy in the Middle East, where the academy has established itself as a training destination for young players from the region and beyond.
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The academy’s global footprint now spans six continents, with the Bahrain opening adding to a network that includes facilities in Europe, Asia, the Americas and Africa. The organization has not disclosed the investment amount for the Bahrain project, but the partnership with Harve signals a model that blends sports development with luxury tourism infrastructure.
Málaga Project Would Add 27 Courts and Two Residences
Closer to home, Nadal is pursuing a far larger development in Málaga, where the Rafa Nadal Academy has expressed interest in acquiring land put up for tender by the city council. The Spanish daily Sur reported that the municipality has offered the plots of the former Centro de Raqueta Inacua and an adjacent parcel for development.
According to Sur, the proposed complex would include 14 tennis courts, 13 padel courts, an outdoor swimming pool, a gym, multi-sport rooms, a wellness center and spa, restaurants, a specialty store, a sports museum dedicated to Nadal, and two residences for athletes and students.
El Tenista Wine Enters Jumilla Market at Roughly €60
Beyond sports facilities, Nadal has moved into the wine industry through a partnership with the Juan Gil family winery in Jumilla, Murcia, Vanitatis reported. The collaboration produced “El Tenista,” an organic red wine made from Monastrell grapes, the signature variety of the Jumilla denomination of origin, which sells in specialty shops for around 60 euros.
Nadal announced the launch on his social media channels, writing in Spanish that the project had been in development for some time and reflected a shared enthusiasm with the Gil family. “There are projects that make you especially excited and this is one of them,” he wrote, according to Vanitatis. “For some time I have been lucky to share with the Gil family a very special adventure: the creation of ‘El Tenista,’ a wine that was born from a shared excitement and a very similar way of understanding things.”
The winery, founded in 1916 and still run by the fourth generation of the Gil family, markets the wine under the Dominio del Liftado label. The bottle features a minimalist white label with an image inspired by a ball bouncing on clay, a nod to Nadal’s surface of greatest success. Vanitatis noted that it has not been disclosed whether Nadal holds an equity stake in the winery.
Zel Hotels and the Meliá Partnership
Nadal’s hospitality ventures extend through a long-standing collaboration with the Meliá hotel chain, under which the Zel brand of premium properties was developed. The first Zel hotel opened in Calvià, Mallorca, in 2023, followed by a second property in Tossa de Mar on the Costa Brava in 2024, Emprendedores reported. Both properties operate under the Meliá umbrella and target travelers seeking sports-adjacent luxury accommodations.
Extending Brand Partnerships Beyond Tennis
The tennis star’s commercial reach also includes NDL Pro Health, a line of dietary supplements developed with Cantabria Labs and marketed for key moments in sport and general wellness. Emprendedores reported that the brand increased its revenue last year through sales on its own website, major online platforms such as Amazon, and El Corte Inglés department stores in Spain, where it holds an exclusive partnership.
Nadal has also aligned with the GO fit gym chain and sponsors a range of sporting and leisure events, including the Quebrantahuesos mountain bike race, the Women Padel Oysho tournament, the Madrid Half Marathon, the IBP tennis circuit and the Mad Cool music festival. Additional partnerships include the Playtomic app and professional padel players Gemma Triay and Álex Ruiz.
Inside the Aspemir Holding Structure
Much of Nadal’s business activity is organized through Aspemir, a holding company that groups stakes in sports, real estate, hotel, renewable energy and brokerage firms, according to Emprendedores. Vanitatis reported that Aspemir’s 2021 accounts declared assets of 275 million euros, up from 255 million euros the previous year, though the outlet cautioned that those figures reflect historical accounts rather than a current valuation of Nadal’s personal wealth.
The family dimension of the enterprise includes Nadal Invest, a company established in 2003 in which Nadal holds 25% of the capital, Vanitatis reported. His father, Sebastián Nadal, and his uncles have long-standing business interests in Mallorca, including real estate developments and ties to Vidres Mallorca, a company specializing in windows, glass and shutters.
Another key platform is Mabel Capital, created with businessmen Abel Matutes Prats and Manuel Campos Guallar. The firm has diversified across international real estate, restaurants and investments in other companies, including the Villa de París building on Calle General Castaños in Madrid, near the Supreme Court, which was converted into an exclusive residential complex of eleven homes, Vanitatis reported.
From Court to Boardroom
Nadal’s transition from athlete to entrepreneur was prepared well before his November 2024 retirement, with years of building an investment structure alongside his playing career. The 22 Grand Slam singles titles he won came alongside a business framework assembled during his competitive years with the support of family and trusted professionals, spanning ventures from the Gulf to Latin America.
The academy’s expansion into Bahrain, combined with the Málaga land bid and the Jumilla wine launch, reflects his business activities across multiple sectors. The Bahrain center in Amwaj Islands is scheduled to open in late 2027, while the Málaga project remains in the tender process.
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