Rafael Nadal suffered from continuous injuries for two years before deciding to retire after the Davis Cup Finals in November 2024.
The 38-year-old former tennis player just had his longest interview since retiring, on Andy Roddick's podcast. Nadal shared that he decided to hang up his racket for a few months before participating in the final tournament.
"I took time to see if I could recover well. Because professionally, I still feel competitive. I don't feel lost in speed when hitting the ball, just regain physical confidence and remove the limits."
I always tell myself to keep fighting because at some point, it will probably work, Nadal said.
However, many weeks have passed and he still feels unable to show the class he wants on the pitch. He continued:
So after the Paris Olympics, I went home and thought it was over, I felt like that. I didn't feel like that before, I wanted to give myself time. But at that time, I felt it was meaningless. I do not want to continue pursuing this issue".
I dont feel Ill be back to the level of competition I need. At that time, I felt that, for me, everything was over."
At the 2024 summer Olympics, Nadal reached the second round of the men's singles event, losing to Novak Djokovic in the 60th and final official confrontation between the two legends. He reached the quarter-finals of the doubles event with compatriot Carlos Alcaraz.
Returning after a year off due to injury in early 2024, he encountered many difficulties, facing consecutive failures. However, he is still optimistic and refuses to talk about retirement plans.
But in October, Nadal announced his Davis Cup suspension, ending his illustrious career in his home country of Spain.
