Rafael Nadal has said he feels no sadness about stepping away from tennis, after being honoured at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid with the Sporting Icon Award.
The 38-year-old Spanish legend, who won 22 Grand Slam titles – including a record 14 at Roland Garros – officially retired last November after his final match at the Davis Cup in Malaga.
Speaking to reporters, Nadal said:
“The truth is that I don’t miss tennis. Not at all.”
He explained that he didn’t retire because he lost passion for the game, but simply because his body could no longer cope.
“I finished my career happy. If I could have continued, I would have. But I reached a point where physically, I just couldn’t do it anymore.”
Nadal, who suffered many injuries throughout his career, said he took his time to make sure retirement was the right choice:
“What would’ve been hard was sitting at home wondering if I should have kept going. But I knew I had given everything, and my body couldn’t give any more.”
With peace of mind and pride in his achievements, Nadal closed the chapter on one of the greatest careers in tennis history.
