The Spaniard has closed the chapter and found peace.
Spanish tennis icon Rafael Nadal does not “miss” his sport. “I don’t miss it at all,” said the 22-time Grand Slam champion, who retired last year, at the Laureus Awards in Madrid.
“But not because I’m tired of tennis or because I ended my career fighting against it,” Nadal explained. Rather, it was the physical aspect that was important to the 38-year-old. ‘Tennis was my passion, my whole life,’ said the Spaniard. But he closed the chapter and found peace because ‘I was no longer physically capable of doing it.’
Nadal’s list of injuries is long. When he realized that his body was no longer “recovering to the level where I could continue to enjoy tennis,” he decided to call it quits. He gave it his all until his body couldn’t take it anymore.
Nadal was honored with the “Laureus Sporting Icon Award” in Madrid. At the ceremony, the guests at the Palacio de Cibeles paid tribute to “Rafa” with a standing ovation.
