Rafael Nadal opened up on why he postponed his decision to leave professional tennis. In November the Spaniard withdrew curtains for his career After the Spanish tie Davis Cup against the Netherlands in Malaga. Nadal, who won 22 Grand Slam titles, lost to Botic van de Zandschulp in direct sets.
On Monday, April 21, Nadal won the prestigious Laureus Sporting Icon Award in Madrid. The legendary star said she didn’t want to retire with regret that she couldn’t give it to everything. He said he decided to call time for his career after his body gave up.
“I postponed my final decision because I needed time to be sure it was right. What would be hard to sit on my sofa and wondering if I should try to play,” Nadal said.
“When I saw my body would not recover to the level I needed to continue to have fun in court, then I decided to stop. That’s why I miss it. Because I ended up calmly when I knew I gave it all and that my body couldn’t give more,” Nadal said.
“I don’t miss tennis”
In 2022, Nadal pulled himself out of the Wimbledon semifinals against Nick Kyrgios because of Hamstring injury. Since then he missed several tournaments and also could not participate in the French Open in 2023. After he lost with Alexandra Zverev in the first round.
At the Olympic Games in Paris, Novak Djokovic defeated him in the second round. He then announced his decision to retire after the Davis Cup. Nadal said he had finished his career “happy” and he missed sport.
“The truth is, I don’t miss tennis. Zero.
It’s just that if you realize that you can’t do it physically, you will try to close this chapter. And I closed it, ”added Nadal.
Published:
Sabyasachi Chowdhury
Published on:
22 April 2025
