"It was unhealthy, you could see it in Rafael Nadal's face" - Spaniard was hurting because he was 'addicted' to tennis, says Andrea Petkovic

Former German tennis player Andrea Petkovic recently said that Rafael Nadal was hurting and was physically not at his best as he was "addicted" to tennis at the end of his playing career. The Spaniard bid farewell to his illustrious career which spanned over two decades, after representing Spain at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals.

While speaking on the 'Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast on Tuesday, November 26, Andrea Petkovic opened up about a conversation she had with German tennis legend Boris Becker. She revealed that Becker likened winning, playing tennis, and competing on the Centre Court to a "drug."

Petkovic felt that, because of the comparison Becker made, she could understand why the twilight of Rafael Nadal's career looked like he was "hurting" while playing tennis.

“And Boris [Becker], I know I keep bringing him up but I just saw him for a lot of times now lately, and he said to me, ‘It’s like a drug. Tennis is like a drug.’ He said, ‘Winning titles is a drug, playing on Centre Court is a drug,’” Petkovic said [50:22].

Andrea Petkovic said that the Spaniard was aware of the toll that continued play was taking on his body, yet his "addiction" to the sport drove him to push through the pain.

“I think with Rafa you could see when it turns into addiction, when it becomes hurtful for your life. You could tell that he was starting to neglect his being, like you could see that it was unhealthy, he was injured all the time, you could see it in his face. Rafa is not the most relaxed person in general,” she added [51:14].

During the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup, Nadal faced off against Netherlands' Botic van de Zandschulp in the opening singles match but suffered a 4-6,4-6 defeat. Spain eventually lost the tie 2-1 and failed to secure a spot in the semifinals, marking the end of the 22-time Grand Slam champion's career.

Rafael Nadal on his retirement: “I had nothing more, that’s the reality”

Rafael Nadal at Davis Cup Final [Source: Getty]

While talking to the press following Spain's defeat to the Netherlands at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals last week, Rafael Nadal said the moments leading up to the final tournament of his career were "emotional."

“The moments leading up to it were emotional, kind of difficult to handle, in general. I tried to have the best attitude possible, with the necessary energy, whatever the result,” he said [via ATPTour.com].

The former World No.1 revealed that if given the chance, he would have played every day of his career.

“I would experience it every day if I could. “It’s not for a lack of desire, of course I have the desire. I’m not going to be hard on myself. I had nothing more. That’s the reality,” he added .

Rafael Nadal retired with 22 Grand Slam singles titles to his name and two Olympic gold medals for Spain, among many other accolades.