ATP Queen’s: Rafael Nadal’s Rare Frustration in 2011 Highlights Why Top Stars Refuse To Play in the UK

Rafael Nadal is probably exploring the last few months of his professional tennis career. Soon after facing an early exit at Roland Garros, the Spaniard announced he would not play at Wimbledon. Instead, he is highly determined to stick to clay to secure a medal in the upcoming Paris Olympics. While this decision highlights his love for the dirt, it wasn’t the first time when he despised the valuable tournaments on the grass courts. But why?

Looking back at the year 2011, tennis star Rafael Nadal did something that was quite unlikely for someone with a calm personality. The Spaniard openly criticized the United Kingdom’s tax system, which, according to him, has been disturbingly harsh on international athletes. “The truth is, in the UK you have a big regime for tax,” Nadal said.

Mentioning the domains that the authorities use to derive funds from, he added, “They take from the sponsors, from Babolat, from Nike, and from my watches. This is very difficult. I am playing in the UK and losing money.”

Despite being a regular at the Queen’s Club tournament in London, Rafael Nadal decided to skip the event in 2012 due to such restraints. He decided to be an active part of the tournament in the Halle Open instead since their appearance fee is quite generous, coupled with a less imposing tax regime. Moving ahead in his career, only in 2015 did the Spaniard become a part of the Queen’s Club championship.

The tax issues in the UK span across other sports as well. Sports stars like sprinter Usain Bolt and golfer Phil Mickelson also came forward to voice concerns about the UK’s tax policies.

This trend isn’t just limited to the ATP line but also extends to the women’s tour as well. Roger Federer, who is known to be the fan’s favorite at Wimbledon, also never really found himself ready for the major event.

IMG vice president adds to Rafael Nadal’s frustration

There have been several examples of tennis players like Roger Federer avoiding practice sessions in the UK. While tax impositions have always posed a big financial challenge to players, they prefer to save funds by opting to play in a different location. IMG Vice President Max Eisenbud came forward to point out the situation by highlighting the harsh reality of these practices.

Explaining the reason why Roger Federer, despite being the absolute favorite in the nation, preferred Germany over Wimbledon for his practice sessions., Eisenbud said, “When you get to the finals of Wimbledon, you spend x amount of days in the UK getting ready for it. And those days, they’ll proportional how much money you make, for how many days you were in. People need to be on top of that.”

Seeking new ways of saving themselves from high taxes, players either chose the tournament in Germany or moved their training sessions there. More players might opt for the move in the future if the status quo remains on the taxation policies. What do you think about their move? Let us know in the comments!