Almost a year ago, Rafa Nadal hung up his tennis racket for good. “I haven’t been able to play without limitations. It’s a difficult decision, one that took me time to make. In this life, everything has a beginning and an end. And this is the right moment. It’s been a much more successful career than I ever could have imagined,” he said then. Recently, he sat down with Universo Valdano to discuss his departure from the sport and how his first year away from competition has looked.
“I liked what I was doing, I have to say. I didn’t retire because I was tired of what I was doing or because I lacked motivation,” said Nadal.
“I retired because my body just couldn’t give any more. But I was still happy doing what I did, and in a way, I had undergone an operation that they told me might allow me to fully recover. And I needed to give myself a reasonable amount of time to find out, at least, right?”
After 22 years competing at the highest level, Nadal felt that his body was no longer responding accordingly. “I think sacrifices happen when you do things you truly don’t want to do. In that sense, I haven’t made major sacrifices. I’ve made great efforts. But sacrifices? Very few. Because I’ve enjoyed what I did. I did it because I wanted to. And, honestly, I don’t feel like I’ve missed out on practically anything in this life,” he said.
A Year Full of Family
Nadal's first year away from courts has been spent immersed in his family and his culture, while also presenting as the perfect opportunity for him to try out new activities. In past months, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in the Paraninfo Hall of the University of Salamanca.
"It is an honor to be the first athlete to receive this distinction,” he said. The title highlighted the values he has embodied throughout his career, such as “discipline, teamwork, humility, simplicity, perseverance, the spirit of overcoming challenges, and a commitment to excellence.”
On top of that, the former tennis player also received his first noble title from King Felipe VI: Marquess of Llevant of Mallorca, a hereditary honor that will be passed down to future generations. The King described Nadal and his career as “exemplary models of excellence, whether in service of the Crown or in the fields of thought, culture, science, the arts, and sports.”
Nadal has also made time for leisure and family, traveling to Japan and welcoming his second son, a baby boy named Miguel, with his wife, Mery Perello. He continued to pursue his passion with golf and jumped into the E1 Series, also known as the “Formula 1 of the sea." It's been a year full of change and evolution for one of Spain's greatest sporting legends.