Gareth Bale takes up brand new sport in retirement from football and former world No2 is impressed
GARETH BALE has shown off his skill on the tennis court and earned himself praise from former world No2 Alex Corretja.
After hanging up his boots earlier this year, the ex-Real Madrid star has embraced another new sport.
Bale, 34, retired from football following the 2022 World Cup – but he left nobody in any doubt about how he would fill his spare time.
The ex-Tottenham and Real Madrid star had a glittering career winning 22 trophies including a whopping five Champions Leagues.
He has proved his skill on the pitch but has shown his talent in golf too this year in the PGA Tour and Ryder Cup All-Star match.
But this was not enough for the Welsh legend who has impressed fans yet again with a video of his skillful ball-striking on the tennis court.
In the clip, Bale is spotted hitting the ball in style with his right hand.
And one tennis icon who was stunned by his performance was former No2 Corretja who did not hesitate to praise Bale.
He said: “With that right hand I would have had a much better chance of being number 1 !”
The two-time French Open finalist retired from the sport in 2005 and coached British tennis star Andy Murray from 2008 to 2011.
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Corretja now works as a commentator for the sport.
Meanwhile, this is not the first time the former Los Blancos player has shown off his skill with the racquet.
In 2021 while still defending at the Bernabeu, Bale compared his love for tennis with football.
He said: “In football, we are just robots, you can’t choose the calendar like in golf or tennis.
“You don’t get to choose what to do and when to do it. They tell us everything.
“Where and when to be, what time to eat, what time to train. It’s like you lose control of your life somehow.”