One of tennis’ all-time greats, Rafael Nadal, has said he has no longing for the sport following his retirement.
The 38-year-old Spaniard, who boasts 22 Grand Slam titles, including an astonishing 14 French Open crowns, was celebrated with a Sporting Icon award at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid on Monday.
“The truth is that I don’t miss tennis. Zero. I don’t miss it at all,” Nadal told reporters.
Despite bidding farewell to professional tennis after his final appearance at the Davis Cup in Malaga in November 2024, Nadal made it clear that his departure was not driven by discontent.
“But not because I finished tired of tennis or fighting against tennis, not at all. I finished my career happy, and if I could have, I would have carried on, because I loved what I was doing. It was my passion, and that’s been the case all my life. It’s just that when you realise that physically you can’t do it any more… you try to close that chapter. And I closed it,” he said.
Throughout his career, Nadal battled persistent injuries but remained committed to the game for as long as his body allowed.
“I delayed making my final decision because I needed time to be sure it was the right one. What would have been hard was sitting on my sofa wondering if I should keep trying to play. When I saw that my body wasn’t going to recover to the level I needed to continue enjoying myself on court, then I made the decision to stop,” he stated.
“That’s why I don’t miss it. Because I finished with the peace of mind of knowing that I’d given it my all, and that my body couldn’t give any more,” Nadal added.
His legacy remains untarnished — not just for his achievements on the court, but for the grace and clarity with which he accepted the end of his playing days.
