Rafael has been retired for three months, and so far, he hasn’t had the time to miss the life of an athlete. On Tuesday, November 4, the Spanish icon attended the ‘Gran Gala del Deporte,’ an annual event hosted by a prominent sports newspaper in Catalonia. The ceremony honors the best athletes of the year, but this edition featured a special commemorative trophy in recognition of the former tennis star.
Since his last professional match at the Davis Cup, Nadal has made no public appearances to discuss his retirement. However, during the Next Gen ATP Finals, he was invited by the tournament organizers to speak with young competitors, including Brazilian João Fonseca, the champion of the competition. Unfortunately, it was not the right moment to delve into his new chapter of life.
“I am trying to adapt to what I would call a new facet of my life. But I am okay, perfectly fine, although the last few years have been challenging. This also helps me not to miss tennis. At the moment, I feel good. I retired three months ago; I can’t say with absolute clarity yet, but I feel well. I am happy,” Nadal expressed.
Overall, Nadal spoke briefly about his gratitude towards tennis, which began as a hobby and profoundly changed his life path. During a tribute at the event, the organizers prepared a retrospective of his career highlights, and he couldn’t help but mention his major rivals: Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
“I couldn’t choose between the two. My career is intertwined with theirs; we have always pushed each other to do better, drawing out the best in one another. It’s fair to say that none of us would have reached these heights without the others. In a certain sense, we pushed each other to the limits in every way. Physically, it took a toll on us, but on a tennis and mental level, it elevated us to the next level,” the recently retired player remarked.
