Tennis star Rafael Nadal and his expanding business footprint in Spain and beyond
Rafael Nadal stands as a beacon of commercial appeal for Spanish brands. The image of an elite athlete who fights back after setbacks resonates with many companies seeking a powerful, trustworthy brand ambassador. Nadal has recently entered new business avenues in 2023, riding the wave of his comeback from injuries and his ongoing work as a brand ambassador for Cantabria Labs. This year marks another milestone as he launches into ventures that bridge sports performance with consumer health and wellness.
The Manacor native is determined to stay active, even planning a comeback to ski life after intensive rehabilitation that included surgery. He announced participation in a Brisbane tournament in January 2024, underscoring his readiness to compete again. Nadal continues to diversify his portfolio, with interests spanning tourism, real estate, and hospitality. Collectively, his assets are estimated to be in the vicinity of several hundred million euros.
equal partnership and purpose
The latest venture is NDL Pro-Health, a line of nutritional supplements designed for athletes. This initiative is a joint venture with businessman Juan Matji, the president of Cantabria Labs. According to Pablo Pardo, the managing director of NDL Pro-Health, the investment in the company was shared equally by Matji and Nadal. Pardo has experience in major consumer and luxury groups, including Unilever, Diageo, and Reckitt Benckiser.
Matji and Nadal have a longstanding friendship that extends into business. Nadal has promoted Cantabria Labs brands such as Heliocare as a brand ambassador, and Matji spends summers in Mallorca. The Matji family, rooted in Madrid and connected to the Balearic Islands, has a net worth around 320 million euros. Pardo notes that Nadal and Matji share compatible values in business and a strong personal connection that supports their collaboration.
Pardo highlights the hybrid nature of the new venture as its strongest advantage. The aim was to create a product for active people that doubles as a quality daily supplement. There was a gap in the market for a product that blends performance support with everyday nutrition, and this new line seeks to fill it.
The NDL Pro-Health range is designed for consumption at three different times during the athletic phase and targets adults 35 and older who exercise with varying frequency. One line focuses on daily life support for athletes, another on competition preparation, and a third on postworkout recovery. The brand is currently marketed through digital channels with plans to establish physical retail as the next step. After initially launching in Spain, plans point toward expanding into additional international markets.
Another competitive advantage cited by Pardo is the organic, influencer-based advertising supported by Nadal. Nadal uses the products himself and occasionally posts about them on social media, enabling authentic promotion without heavy marketing spend. This organic approach is seen as the strongest promotional asset for the line.
a maintenance path for growth
In related developments in Madrid, the Matji brothers manage the Villaescusa laboratory in Cantabria and have expanded into personal care retail with their own product lines. The Matji family originated in Madrid and has links to the Balearic Islands. In 1994 they acquired a small pharmaceutical company, IFC, known for traditional medicines. Cantabria Labs now operates in nearly 80 countries with subsidiaries in the United States, France, Italy, Portugal, China, and Morocco, employing close to a thousand people. The company closed 2022 with a turnover near 293 million euros and projects a target of 500 million euros by 2027.