By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_now | Tuesday, April 22, 2025
Photo Credit: Laureus World Sports Awards Facebook
Rafael Nadal Close the curtain in his excellent career in Davis Cup last November.
The 22nd Grand Slam champion continues to gain honors.
King of Clay Nadal was honored with the Icon Sports award at Laureus Sports Awards in Madrid on Monday.
It is the fifth price of Laureus for Nadal, who met with the media in Madrid for a Q&A.
Nadal shared that he does not lack tennis – because he feels fulfilled by what he achieved in the sport.
“I don’t miss you, to be honest, I miss zero,” Nadal the media told Madrid. “Not because I ended up tired or struggling with tennis, not at all. I ended up happy and if I could continue to continue playing, tennis has made me happy throughout my life.
“When you realize that you can’t, you try to close the scene, and I have closed it. It took me as long as it took me because it took me time to convince me that the decision I was making was right. What I would have taken very bad is the idea that I was on the sofa at home thinking I could be there playing.”
Of course, Nadal remains involved in sports every day running his academy Rafa Nadal in his native Mallorca.
The 38-year-old Spanish superstar said that knowing his body could no longer compete on an elite level made the split less painful.
“When I saw that my body would not heal at the level I needed to continue enjoying the way it properly, I made the decision to stop,” Nadal said. “I don’t miss it because I ended up with peace of mind that my body couldn’t get it anymore.
“I follow the tennis. I don’t see a lot of matches, but I look at the ones I care about and follow the results because I’m passionate about sports.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H26S1Q-NCN8
In an incentive greeting, the fans stood and cheered “Rafa! Rafa!” During the last Nadal match for single people in Davis Cup last November.
Separation can be annoying.
Emotions exploded all over, while BoTic Van de Zandschulp defeated Nadal 6-4, 6-4 in what was the last match for bachelors of his glorious career.
A dedicated player of Davis Cup, who also won gold Olympic medals in single and double for Spain, Nadal was asked if one day he would like to succeed Buddy David Ferrer as the Spanish captain.
“I don’t know, that can’t be predicted. I’m passionate about sports, but you have to mark your way forward,” Nadal said. “I have recently finished a long way, and I have to prepare for what is coming. I have had a family and a team that have prepared what I liked for the future, and I do not know what might happen to this kind.
“Of course I can be a candidate to be a captain, but there must be circumstances I don’t have today. I am not saying no, at all, but always having our sights in a few years.”
