'He Hasn’t Handled Pressure Very Good in His Career': Tom Brady Teases Rafael Nadal Before Winning the Golf Battle

The game of golf figures to be a factor in almost every American man’s retirement at one point or another, even for the likes of Tom Brady himself. The gridiron legend recently made the trip to the golf course to square off against a fellow legend in his own right, Rafael Nadal, in the first installment of the GOAT Golf E1 series. 

On the eve of E1 Monaco, the two sporting legends, as well as fellow team owners, seemed to make the most of their opportunity to hit the links. The seven-time Super Bowl champion jokingly noted that “I put a little pressure on him. He hasn’t handled great pressure very good in his career,” after landing his shot on the greens. 

Even though Brady would ultimately win the round, Nadal had little issue with conceding. “He beat me,” the tennis legend humbly admitted as he extended his hand to Brady. 

While Brady made sure to offer a rematch to Nadal by suggesting that “One day, we’ll play 18 together,” the football G.O.A.T. was all smiles while walking off the course that day. Nevertheless, the two sporting legends are destined to cross paths again in the future on account of their respective investments in the startup electric boat racing series. 

Since his retirement in 2023, the former New England Patriot has made a habit of investing his capital into various sporting leagues and franchises, with the E1 being just one of his latest ventures. The E1 Series was started out of the hope that it could create interest in a commercial sporting league for the marine industry.

According to E1’s current CEO, co-founder, and former F1 engineer, Rodi Basso, “The marine industry don’t really see a sport platform as a marketing tool.” However, celebrity athletes and capitalists, such as Brady and Nadal, were willing to wager a respective portion of their fortunes to say otherwise. 

“[Celebrity athletes] are all very passionate about living the life of the coastal areas,” Basso explained. Simply put, the proximity to yachts and coastlines has put influential athletes, such as Brady, in the mood for something a bit more nautical. 

“They all have boats, and they all go to amazing places of the world, and they want to make sure that, also their future generation, their kids can enjoy that in the future.”

A celebrity-sponsored electric boat racing may not have been at the top of Brady’s priority list when he first retired, but it’s an investment in sports nonetheless. Brady has invested in everything from the Las Vegas Raiders to a minority share in a WNBA franchise since his retirement, proving that he’s just as eager to compete as a businessman as well. 

Whether or not his endeavors in electric boat racing prove to be profitable or not, the football legend seems to have the right idea in mind: Own the team and the athletes themselves, so you can get paid without having to be the one to take the hit.