Rafael Nadal (right) at the Laureus World Sports Awards alongside Carlos Alcaraz. © ANSA / Daniel Gonzalez

Rafael Nadal: “I don’t miss tennis at all”

Rafael Nadal is at peace with himself. On Monday, the retired tennis star enjoyed the tributes of the sporting greats – and received a special award, the "Laureus Sporting Icon Award."

22 April 2025

From: dpa

But the Spaniard doesn't miss the spotlight at all, and he's not struggling with his retirement. "The truth is, I don't miss tennis. Zero," he said. "But not because I've grown tired of tennis or fought against it, not at all."

In the end, it was simply the 22-time Grand Slam champion's body that was no longer up to it. "I ended my career happily, and if I could have, I would have continued because I loved what I was doing," Nadal said. "It was my passion, and it's been that way my whole life. It's just that when you realize you can't do it anymore physically, you try to close that chapter, and I've closed it."

Nadal: “Me? A sports icon?”

He delayed his decision because he needed time to be sure it was the right moment. "It would have been hard to sit on the couch and wonder if I should keep trying to play." Unlike Roger Federer, Nadal seems to have no ambitions for exhibition matches or appearances at exhibition tournaments.

Rafael Nadal would have continued playing tennis if he could have. © APA/afp / JAVIER SORIANO

He commented on the award with his usual modesty: "Me? A sports icon? That's for others to decide. But I hope my career has been an inspiration to sports fans beyond tennis."

The "others" have decided: The "Icon Award" has only been awarded once before in the 25-year history of the Laureus Foundation, to Italian motorcycle legend Valentino Rossi. In the endless debate about tennis's "GOAT"—the greatest of all time—Nadal has a leg up on Federer and (at least for now) Novak Djokovic.