The energy supplement Rafa Nadal continues to take after retiring from tennis: "I'm still taking it."

Rafa Nadal, one of Spain's most internationally acclaimed athletes, has retired from high-level competition, although he remains committed to taking care of himself. During an interview on NDL Pro-Health's podcast "Con mucho D..." (With Much D...), the world-renowned tennis player shared some of his eating habits that have helped him stay in shape.

Indeed, and although he admits he's not exactly obsessed with a strict diet , Nadal has explained that he continues to take a nutritional supplement he used during his days as an elite athlete because it makes him feel energized; he likes the feeling it gives him. He also mentions a second supplement that works wonders for him. What does he mean?

This is Rafa Nadal's current lifestyle after retiring from high-level competition.

During the interview, the tennis player explained that in his generation, strict diet plans to improve athletic performance weren't exactly something that was done often. "I think that nutritional education, in terms of diet, is a little behind what was common in my generation."

Indeed, as Nadal later added, "all this knowledge about how we athletes should eat properly, following perfect nutritional routines , with everything studied, is something that came after the time when I was starting out. I got back into it about halfway through my career, although I must confess that I was never super rigorous about anything in this matter."

Now that he's stopped training as hard as he did when he was competing, the athlete continues to do his " daily strength training session , although I don't follow any kind of strict diet," he says.

This is the energy supplement that Rafa Nadal continues to take.

During Rafa Nadal's talk on the aforementioned podcast, the tennis player confesses that what he does stick to from his previous routine is his intake of energy supplements: "I have consumed energy gels and continue to consume them before and during training, because they give me a feeling of strength and energy that I like."

Typically, these gel supplements are formulated with rapidly absorbed carbohydrates like fructose, which help maintain glucose levels sufficient to support energy expenditure. Although they are not recommended for inactivity, they can be effective during specific periods of high-intensity exercise, according to recommendations from the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN).

But, in addition to gels, Nadal says he's also a big fan of taking magnesium. "I use it for recovery and also to feel good. I like the product for my joints; I take it every morning." Magnesium is an essential mineral for the body, working in muscle-related functions, energy production, and protein synthesis—something essential for athletes.