Rafael Nadal’s injuries and physical struggles throughout his career are well-known. However, it has now been revealed that he was not immune to physical struggles either.
Nadal retired from professional tennis at last month’s Davis Cup Finals. The Spaniard lost his final match against Botic van de Zandschulp before the Netherlands eliminated Team Spain by winning the deciding doubles match.
In his retirement announcement before the Davis Cup Finals, Nadal said his body no longer being able to compete at the level needed to challenge for Grand Slams was the main reason he was stepping away from tennis.
Since winning a 14th and final French Open title in June 2022, Nadal has endured constant injury issues. The most severe of these was a hip injury that ruled him out for the entire 2023 season.
Nadal made comeback attempts this year, including appearances at the French Open and the Olympics. Unfortunately, the former ATP world No. 1 was nowhere near his past level throughout this season.
Toni Nadal, Rafael’s uncle and former coach, revealed that his nephew had taken painkillers during practice sessions since the age of 18. Fans knew the 22-time Grand Slam champion suffered many injuries, but Toni’s revelation showed those issues were worse than the public knew.
Nadal built a reputation as one of the mentally toughest athletes in sports history. His recovery from numerous injuries, which enabled him to win more Grand Slams and become one of the best tennis players ever is evidence of his unique mentality.
The legendary Spaniard endured physical and technical struggles at some stages of his career, but being unable to cope mentally on-court was not something Nadal appeared to struggle with often.
However, Nadal has revealed in a piece he wrote for The Players Tribune that he almost took a break from tennis a few years ago because of mental struggles but found a way to overcome that problem.
