“I was not able to move the way that I was used to move. So arrived a moment that after Olympics, I come back home and then say, okay, it’s over. I feel it.” 14-time Roland Garros king and former ATP legend Rafael Nadal said early this year, while reflecting on how he had no option but to put a full stop on his two-decade career last season. Of course it wasn’t an easy decision to make for the former World No.1 and 22-time slam champion. However, the Spaniard has now underlined the one unbearable aspect from the year gone by that literally forced him to discontinue his unparalleled legacy. Seems like the culprit is the very sport he’s adored for an eternity. How?

Back in October 2024, Nadal shared a video on his Instagram while dropping the shocking update on his future. He said, “I don’t think I have been able to play without limitations. It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make.”

Now in an interview with French outlet L’Equipe, dated May 22nd, Nadal touched upon his retirement decision once again. It’s been over six months since he played his last match at the Davis Cup in November 2024. So how’s it going so far without having to prepare for an event anymore. Has there been a big change after leaving tennis? He said, “It’s a radical change in my life. People think it’s the end of a 20-year professional career, but in fact, I’ve been training like a professional since I was 8 years old! That’s practically 30 years doing one thing or devoting a large part of my life to one thing.”

Surprisingly, he then threw light on the very cause for his call to leave professional tennis. So what was it? Nadal revealed, “Maybe the last year of tennis was too much.” Citing injuries, he said, “Because my body didn’t really allow me to compete at the level I loved. But I couldn’t know that.” Well that seems to be the case as well, looking at the build up to his retirement announcement.

In last two years, Nadal went through multiple injury-ridden setbacks. For example, in January 2023, during the Australian Open, he felt sharp pain in his hip. But guess what? He didn’t go for a surgery that time. He spent five months like that. As a result, he had to miss out on the remaining season that year. When he returned in 2024, the Spaniard didn’t feel the same on the court. He also withdrew from the Australian Open due to a persistent muscle injury.

One can say the injuries really ruined his chances to continue further. He expressed these sentiments earlier this year while talking to former American pro Andy Roddick.

When Rafael Nadal revealed how physical limitations forced him to hang up the racket

Back in March this year, Rafael Nadal sat down with the 2003 US Open winner for an episode of his Served podcast. While discussing about his career, he also touched upon the failures led by injuries. The Spaniard revealed how in the second half of last year, he realized it was no longer possible for him to be flawless on the court.

“I came back from injury, things are feeling well now, so let’s practice, let’s prepare. So, in some way, I forget quickly what happened. I was able to go on court, practice with the intensity that I needed, and then I think I recovered the physical intensity quite fast. The tennis level was not a big issue for me most of the time,” he said.

To put it into perspective, Nadal’s collection of 22 Grand Slam titles could have been higher if not for a multitude of injuries. He missed 18 Grand Slams and had to withdraw from 5 in the wake of his injury woes.

“So you are able to live with that and go on court. You don’t feel, ‘Okay, maybe I have a limitation today,’ but most days, I don’t have that limitation. So you’re still believing, ‘Okay, I can keep fighting for the most important things,’” he continued.

Last November, he competed at the Davis Cup in Malaga, and played his last match at Palacio de Deportes José María Martín Carpena. Sadly, he couldn’t win against Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp. The latter bested him in straight sets.

Nadal wanted to play without physical limitations. He just couldn’t. Hence, Rafa believed that it is time for him to say goodbye to his beloved arena and he officially bid adieu to the 78-feet tennis court with one final thought “In this life, everything has a beginning and an end.”