“It cost me not being able to play golf, in tennis I missed going out on best courts with full stadium” – Rafael Nadal reflects on his injury troubles

Rafael Nadal recently revealed that he misses being competitive on a tennis court as well as on a golf course as he continues to recover from a hip injury.

The last time Nadal played a competitive match was at the Australian Open in January of this year. He lost the second-round match against Mackenzie McDonald on January 18 and has never competed since then.

Later in May, the Spaniard announced his withdrawal from the French Open as he was unable to recover completely. On June 2, he underwent an arthroscopic surgery that ruled him out for at least five upcoming months.

The 37-year-old would have recuperated to be back in action to represent Spain at the Davis Cup Final 8, scheduled to start on November 21, 2023. However, the national side failed to advance to the knockout stage owing to a poor show at the Davis Cup Finals.

Nadal recently attended a business conference in Madrid, Spain, where he reflected on his long break.

On being asked about what he misses the most while recovering, he said:

"Competition! Ultimately I am a competitive person, but not just in tennis, it cost me not being able to play golf which after all is a way to compete, it cost me not being able to compete in other areas."

He added:

"In tennis, I missed being on the circuit, being able to compete, feeling like a player, going out on the best courts with a full stadium; of course, I miss it, but you have to deal with it."

The 22-time Grand Slam champion believes he, however, doesn't cry out for on-court action, knowing well enough about his physical inabilities.

The Spaniard added:

"I have a theory... you might miss it when you feel like you can be there, right? But when you feel like you can't play, because physically you can't, you can't miss it. I tried to be happy with what I had."

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Rafael Nadal's sister Maribel also plays golf

Maribel Nadal

Rafael Nadal's younger sister, Maribel, is a golf lover too. Three years younger than her brother, she is currently responsible for the marketing and sales end of her brother's tennis academy in Mallorca, Spain. Maribel recently participated in a charity event organized by Equality Golf.

She recently took to Instagram and expressed her happiness over the event's success, writing:

"What a great time we had playing the @equalitygolfcup for a good cause. Congratulations to the organization and all the foundations for the great work you do!"

The event was aimed at raising money for people with functional diversity and saving the environment.