Netjets US Summer 2023

“
I would like to go back on the court and still promote
tennis, promote sports, promote a healthy lifestyle—
I believe in it a lot, obviously. And to play in the coolest
parts of the world and see my fans and thank them
for their support throughout.
PICTURE ALLIANCE/EPA-EFE
career.” What I didn’t know was that I was going to play for
another 14 years. So, that was the unfortunate bit—that I
retired from skiing so young, at 27 years of age—but I knew I
was going to come back.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE?
The hardest part was getting the kids up and running, getting
them to ski lessons. But it was magical to get back out there.
And I was surprised that it was like riding a bike—that I could
still ski as well as I could before. Now, it’s truly a dream come
true to finally be back on the skis personally, but especially
with my children because they had been longing for this for
so long—asking me, “How much more are you going to play
because I wanna go skiing with you.” This was the theme for
the past few years.
AND NOW, I UNDERSTAND, YOU’RE TRAVELING AN
AWFUL LOT AGAIN.
You’re right. I’ve been back on the road again and that’s been
super-cool fun. We went to Rome with the family—and were
privileged enough to visit the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel.
We went on the Orient Express with my parents as a birthday
gift and that was so cool—traveling from Paris to Venice. And
that was a super-special trip. So we’re doing a bit of that
stuff.
WHAT ABOUT HOME LIFE?
You know, being home is also great—obviously, I’m a
professional driver now for my children and I can’t believe
how much time that takes—to be supportive in the everyday
life we have with our children, at the moment because I want
to really make sure that I’m there. My girls are turning 14 and
the boys are turning nine so, you know, it’s getting a little bit
more serious, a bit more intense as they’re in their formative
years. And I think it’s important to be there and get them
settled, especially after having traveled so long. It’s actually
really nice for all of us.
IS BEING HOME ALLOWING YOU ALSO TO PLAY ANY
GOLF? HAVE YOU CAUGHT THE BUG YET?
Hmmm, good question: I’ve never taken a lesson, so that tells
you maybe that when I bomb it off the tee, it still sprays a
little bit. I do have good feel but, yeah, my dispersion rate
is not good! But let’s say if every shot counted, strokeplay
I guess, I feel like I could play to a 25 handicap. But with a
little practice I could be better. But it’s always one of the
things that I’ve wanted to start to try to play a bit more once
I retired—and now, if I were to do it more, it’s fun to find the
right group of friends so that we can create this environment
for golf. And I’m looking forward to that.
SO LIFE AFTER TENNIS IS …
Really good. I haven’t done any interviews—it’s actually
quite funny, the other day I went to surprise some kids
playing tennis and one of them asked, “How is Rafa
doing?” And I was thinking: “How is Rafa doing?” because
I completely checked out. But life is really good in
retirement.
WHAT ABOUT STEPPING BACK ON THE COURT, PLAYING
AN EXHIBITION HERE AND THERE, SO THAT THE FANS
CAN COME AND SEE YOU?
I would like to go back on the court and still promote tennis,
promote sports, promote a healthy lifestyle—I believe in it a
lot, obviously. And to play in the coolest parts of the world
and see my fans and thank them for their support throughout.
It’s been an amazing journey and I really hope the best for
my knee, working hard to get it back in shape, but a lot of
mileage has gone through this body—but life is good and
you won’t find me sitting at home doing the same old, same
old. The sport has given me too much and so I’ll be bouncing
in and out selectively—for example, I’ll be at this year’s
Wimbledon for the first week and, of course, at the Laver Cup
in Vancouver [in September].
LASTLY, YOUR FOUNDATION IN SOUTHERN AFRICA AND
SWITZERLAND. IT’S VERY IMPORTANT TO YOU.
Yes, very important. We’re actually celebrating 20 years this
year, so that’s something I’m very proud of. We supported
more than 2.5 million children in early childhood education,
focusing on getting kids ready for school because we see it
really makes a big difference in their lives afterwards.
NetJets
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