"My family is so important to me that I don't want to live anywhere else, living on an island allows me to have a quiet, pleasant life and to disconnect" - Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal is one of the biggest athletes on the planet, and yet, not much is known about his private life. When he is not stamping his authority on the tennis court, the Spaniard spends his time in his hometown of Manacor in the Balearic Islands, away from the spotlight.

Speaking in a recent interview with lifestyle magazine VICE as part of his promotional campaign for brand partner Amstel Ultra, the Mallorcan expanded on the reasons for staying away from the public eye.

Nadal revealed that he could not envision living anywhere other than alongside his family, mainly because of the peace of mind it offers him during tumultuous times.

"My family is so important to me that I don't want to live anywhere else. That's the truth," he said. "When I think of home, the words that come to my mind are peace, family, and getting away from the stress of competition."

The former World No. 1 further added that he enjoyed the idea of living on a relatively remote island away from the public eye since it gave him the opportunity to lead a "quiet" and "pleasant" life.

"Because in the end, being in a competition generates a lot of stress and when you get back home, those feelings disappear completely," Nadal said. "Living on an island allows me to have a quiet, pleasant life and to disconnect."

Rafael Nadal reckons he would have still been an athlete of some sort if he hadn't become a tennis player

Rafael Nadal reckons he would have become an athlete even if he wasn't a tennis player

During the interview, Rafael Nadal was asked a question that every professional athlete has encountered at some point: What would he have become if he wasn't a tennis player?

The 35-year-old was of the opinion that he would have made it as an athlete of some kind since he had always enjoyed participating in sports.

"I don't know, I have always loved sports. If I weren't a tennis player, I would say [I would have been] something related to that," he said.

For the moment though, the Mallorcan remains a tennis player, one who will be attempting to win his 14th French Open title in the coming weeks. The Spaniard is expected to train in Paris later on Wednesday and faces a stern challenge in his bid to extend his lead in the Slam race over Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

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Also Check Out :- French Open 2022 Results