"I went through painful moments in terms of accepting things" - Rafael Nadal reveals why he arrived at the decision to retire

Rafael Nadal's glittering career came to an end in front of his home crowd at the Davis Cup Finals in November 2024. He enthralled the world for two decades and etched his name in history as one of the very best to play the sport. However, the journey was far from easy and he endured plenty of ups and downs.

This was especially true in the twilight of his career with recurring injuries. His final couple of years on the tour were the toughest of his career. He recently appeared as a guest on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast. The Spaniard opened up about his injury struggles towards the end of his career, and how he realized it was time to call it quits.

"Yeah, in some way I'm a positive guy. Last year, of course, had been mentally tough. I went through some painful moments in terms of accepting things. During all this process you go through like, a mountain of emotions. It's difficult to explain in words," Nadal said.

Before Nadal was plagued by his career-threatening injuries, he won a couple of Majors in 2022. However, an abdomen injury at Wimbledon marked the beginning of the end for him.

"To put everything in perspective, in 2022 I was winning Slams. Then I got injured. In Wimbledon I had my abdominal break in semifinals, I was not able to even be on court and then in the US Open, in the previous days of the tournament start I again had the tear in my abdomen," he added.

After the birth of his son towards the end of the year, Nadal was raring to go once again with a renewed outlook on life. Unfortunately, a hip injury at the Australian Open 2023 dashed his hopes.

"So in my mind, after that I became a father, there was a different approach at the end of the year. But I say, okay, I'm going to prepare myself. I have been playing very well, I am going to prepare myself to start 2023 in good shape. Then what happened in 2023 in the first tournament of the year, well second, first Slam, against Mackenzie McDonald I had a big thing in the psoas area," Nadal said.

The injury effectively ruled out the Spaniard from competing for the rest of the season. It also set the stage for his eventual retirement.

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Rafael Nadal knew after the Paris Olympics 2024 that it was time for him to retire

Rafael Nadal at the Paris Olympics 2024. (Photo: Getty)

Following his injury at the Australian Open 2023, Rafael Nadal took the year off to recover, even undergoing a surgery. He returned to action in 2024 to modest success. He kept trying to recapture his old form but it soon became clear to him that it wouldn't be possible, a fact that was hard to digest.

"That's why during all these months it has been difficult because in some way I felt like let's keep fighting, maybe at some point it's going to work well. But weeks, one week, another week, another week, I was able to compete but not at the level I wanted for different reasons because I was not playing well, maybe," Nadal said.

Nadal knew that the injury severely restricted his ability to move around the court. Once he was done competing at the Paris Olympics, he knew it was time to walk away from the sport.

"But inside myself was because I was not able to move the way I used to move. So arrive at a moment after Olympics, I come back home and I say, it's over. I feel it," he continued.

Nadal's singles campaign at the Olympics came to an end in the second round at the hands of his chief rival, Novak Djokovic. He also competed in doubles with Carlos Alcaraz, and the duo bowed out in the quarterfinals.