Rafael Nadal recalls tough retirement decision: Needed time to be sure
Rafael Nadal opened up on why he delayed his decision to retire from professional tennis. Back in November, the Spaniard pulled the curtains down on his career after Spain's Davis Cup tie against the Netherlands in Malaga. Nadal, who won 22 Grand Slam titles, lost to Botic Van de Zandschulp in straight sets. On Monday, April 21, Nadal won the prestigious Laureus Sporting Icon award in Madrid. The legendary star said that he didn't want to retire with the regret of not being able to give it his all. He said that he only decided to call time on his career after his body gave up. advertisement'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," Nadal said.
"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. 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 said.El Palacio de Cibeles cae rendido ante Rafa NadalEl balear recoge el premio al mejor icono deportivo. #Laureus25En DIRECTO en Teledeporte: https://t.co/m3maPn2D11 pic.twitter.com/tKSPJjmW1F— Teledeporte (@teledeporte) April 21, 2025'I don't miss tennis' Back in 2022, Nadal pulled out of the Wimbledon semi-final against Nick Kyrgios due to a hamstring injury. Since then, he missed several tournaments and also couldn't take part in the French Open in 2023. Last year, Nadal crashed out of the clay-court major at Roland Garros, after losing to Alexander Zverev in the first round. advertisementIn the Paris Olympics, Novak Djokovic beat him in the second round. Thereafter, he announced his decision to retire after the Davis Cup. Nadal said that he finished his career 'happy' and he doesn't miss the sport. 'The truth is that I don't miss tennis. Zero. I don't miss it at all. 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,' Nadal said. 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,' Nadal added.Trending Reel
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