Nadal explains why he tried one last time at Roland Garros 2024

Pedro de Pablos | 21 May 2026 | 17.19

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Rafael Nadal has appeared on Andy Roddick's podcast 'Served' to promote his new documentary on Netflix, which will be released on May 29th. He has touched on various interesting aspects of his career, such as attempting to continue competing despite the fact that the final stretch of his career was riddled with injuries.

But, thinking about it calmly, that perfectly sums up the legacy Nadal leaves behind. Falling and getting back up, as his career has not been as physically straightforward as that of his closest rivals. Moreover, as he himself acknowledges, going through that situation has allowed him to gain enough experience to help the next generations, as is the case with Carlos Alcaraz and a wrist injury he suffered on two occasions.

Rafael Nadal explains why he decided to make a documentary about the final stage of his career

Reasons for making the documentary

I think I refused to do that throughout my tennis career. I had many opportunities to make a documentary, and I didn't. Especially because I didn't want to bother my team and my family, as I'm used to being under the cameras, but not them, so I didn't want to put them in that position. But well, I was convinced that it was the right time to do it. It is something that will remain there forever, and in a way, an athlete like me should leave that.

Talking with my family, they agreed, and I'm happy to do it. It was tough at the beginning for everyone, but then we had a great team that made us feel comfortable, and my family got used to it. It is something that will remain there forever, so it will be a good memory of this period of time when we were filming with the little ones. Also, I will have a lot of material for myself. The scenes and situations that will not be in the documentary that will remain privately for the rest of our lives will be good things.

Trying again once more at Roland Garros in the year of his retirement

That's an easy question because I have done it many times in the past. I wanted to explore that possibility again. If the doctors had told me that I had no chance of coming back, I probably wouldn't have done it. However, the doctors gave me a percentage of positive chances of having the opportunity to come back and recover 100%. That's why I tried, that's why I gave myself a reasonable time to explore whether that was the case or not. When I realized that it wasn't the case and that my leg would never be the same, and that I wouldn't have the chance to compete for the things I wanted to aspire to, I decided to take a step back.

Missing his old life

I am in another phase of my life. I am very happy with my new life, and very proud of my tennis career, especially all the things I've been through to keep playing tennis. I really had a good work ethic and determination to always try to find a way to be competitive. Today I end my career and I am at peace. I didn't leave anything behind, so I can watch all these videos. Of course, some bring back wonderful memories, and I get emotional, but in a good way. It doesn't bring me any pain. I remember my career in a positive way. Of course, I have suffered a lot of pain, but it's not in my mind that way. I remember my career in a positive way, and tennis has given me a lot.

Sharing his knowledge with the new generations

I have always been very open to talk to anyone who wants to talk to me. My phone is always ready for other players. Honestly, I have talked to some of them. I think it all depends on perspective. When you are retired, and you know it very well, the perspective is different from when you are there. Every day that you cannot be in tennis, you feel like you are missing something.

For example, for Carlos today, he missed two Grand Slams, a couple of Masters 1000... It's a tough moment, but in a way, the good thing is he has an injury that he will recover 100% from if he does the right things. And I'm sure he is doing the right things. I know very well because I had the same injury twice in my career, in 2014 and 2016. When I retired from Roland Garros in 2016, I had exactly the same injury as him. The main thing is that he has already achieved a lot, which gives him peace of mind. He will recover 100%, and he has many years ahead. It's about listening to that from someone like me who has been through all these things. I think, in a way, it gives you positivity in difficult times.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Nadal explica por qué lo intentó una última vez en Roland Garros 2024