Rafael Nadal clarifies that he 100% does not miss tennis with a firm statement
Rafael Nadal was honored with the Laureus Sporting Icon award at the Laureus World Sports Awards 2025 in Madrid on Monday, April 21. The Spaniard, who retired from the sport in November 2024, was bestowed with this award to commemorate his stellar career.
This was the fifth time that Nadal was felicitated by the organization. He previously won the Newcomer of the Year in 2005, Sportsman of the Year in 2011 and 2021, and Comeback of the Year in 2014. He made a heartfelt speech when he went up on the stage to accept the award.
However, Nadal also raised plenty of eyebrows later on when he stated that he doesn't particularly miss tennis. While the sport made him happy for a really long time, he has moved on from that part of his life. It took him so long to make the decision because he wanted to be completely sure about it.
"I don't miss it, honestly, I miss it zero. Not because I ended up tired or struggling with tennis, not at all. I ended up happy and if I could have I would have continued playing, tennis has made me happy all my life. When you realize that you can't, you try to close the stage, and I have closed it. It took me as long as I did because I needed time to be convinced that the decision I was making was appropriate," Nadal said.
Nadal further explained that he doesn't miss the sport because he knew that he was no in shape to compete. He still keeps up with the results, especially of the players that interest him because he's still passionate about the sport.
"I don't miss it because I ended up with the peace of mind that my body couldn't handle anything more. I follow tennis, I don't watch a lot of matches, but I watch the ones that interest me and I follow the results because I am passionate about the sport," he said.
The Spaniard dealt with his fair share of injuries right from the start of his career. However, it became quite difficult for him to recover at the same pace towards the end of his career, cementing his decision to retire.
Rafael Nadal knew it was time to call it quits following extensive injuries towards the end of his career
During his speech at the Laureus Awards 2025, Rafael Nadal mentioned that it would've been quite delusional for him to think that he would have been able to compete while sitting at home given the nature of his injuries. Once he knew he wouldn't make a full recovery, he knew it was time to walk away from the sport.
"What I would have taken very badly is the idea that I was on the couch at home thinking that I could be there playing. When I saw that my body was not going to recover to the level it needed to continue enjoying the way I need, I made the decision to stop," Nadal said.
Nadal played the final match of his career in front of his home crowd at the Davis Cup Finals in November 2024. He went down to Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets to cap off a brilliant two-decade long career.