Rafael Nadal admits he would have extended his career if not for injuries
NewsTuesday, 02 December 2025 at 16:28
Rafael Nadal has admitted he would have played more tennis if he hadn't suffered so many injuries.
Nadal turned professional in the year 2001. He won 22 Grand Slams, adding to 92 prestigious titles in 23 years before hanging up his racket in
November 2024.
The Spaniard suffered countless injuries in his career that prevented him from competing in at least 11 Grand Slam tournaments and many other events as well.
The year before quitting tennis, he underwent an arthroscopic
surgery on his left hip in 2023. He tried regaining his best level in the
months that followed, to no avail.
In a recent interview with El Larguero, the 39-year-old noted
that physical problems did cut short his career, though he never dwelled on
missed opportunities.
"If it weren't for my physical condition, I'd still be playing tennis, but I'm 39 years old. I've never lived with the thought that without injuries I could have won more Grand Slams, neither in my career nor afterwards. Marcel Granollers is 39 and is from my generation, but with all due respect, he plays doubles."- Rafael Nadal (Translated from Spanish)
The Mallorcan distanced himself from on-court action after
the retirement until two weeks ago, when he took to practice courts of his
academy with rising WTA star Alexandra Eala.
"Since I retired, I've only played an hour and a half of tennis. And that was in the last two weeks. I played with two girls from the academy. I felt like a pure sparring partner; I was just there as a sidekick because I was training for them."
“I had a good time; it was nice to pick up a racket, and more fun than the elliptical. I'd like to play once a week from now on, so I don't have to start from scratch if I ever want to play again. I have some aches and pains, obviously, but by taking a lot of breaks, things are easing up."
Rafael Nadal hints at a reunion with former rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic
Further, during the El Larguero interview, Rafael Nadal denied
having any regrets about his retirement. He then hinted at a reunion with his
former arch-rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic for exhibitions in the
future.
"It's a closed chapter, and a closed one at that. I'm convinced my time had come because there was nothing more. This doesn't mean I can't have fun in an exhibition in the future."
"There's no need to dream about it; it's a very real possibility that I'll play with Djokovic or Federer. What we can't expect is the same level we played at before. If it happens, we'll prepare to play at the best possible level."- Rafael Nadal
Nadal played 40 matches against Federer in his professional
career and won 24. He faced Djokovic on 60 occasions and secured 29 wins.
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