Nadal, sur Djokovic : "Il continuera à viser des victoires en Grand Chelems tant qu'il maintiendra sa forme physique et sa motivation"

Rafael Nadal enjoys a new vital stage completely removed from the demands of the professional circuit. The Balearic, retired for months now, faces a much quieter life, convinced that he squeezed every resource before putting an end to an unrepeatable career and satisfied with having found a balance that was impossible to maintain for so many years.

In an extensive interview with CNBC Sport, the Spanish player reviewed some of the big current topics in tennis and his own life. Rafael Nadal explained why he never considers a return to competition, talked about the rivalry he had with Roger Federer, analyzed the extraordinary longevity of Novak Djokovic, assessed the future ahead for Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, and revealed what he considers to have been the key to staying grounded throughout his entire career.

Rafael Nadal reflects on his retirement, Djokovic, Federer, and the future of tennis

Nadal explains why he will never return to professional tennis

After several high-profile retirements in sports, Nadal was asked about the possibility of returning to competition someday. His response was clear-cut. "For me, that chapter is completely closed. I do not miss competing. Obviously, I still miss certain feelings because they are emotions that I will hardly experience again in another aspect of my life.

But I am at peace with the decision I made. I made it when I felt that I could no longer compete at the level I wanted. I tried everything before retiring, and when I realized that my body was not going to respond as needed, I accepted that the time had come to close that chapter.

I never came to hate tennis. I always enjoyed playing, even during the most challenging times with injuries or with all the challenges that a career as long as mine poses. I retired because my body no longer allowed me to compete at the level I wanted, not because I had lost the enthusiasm for this sport".

Roger Federer, the perfect rival to build an unrivaled rivalry

Nadal believes that the huge contrast between his way of understanding tennis and that of Roger Federer was one of the factors that turned their matchups into one of the greatest rivalries in the history of sports.

"Roger has probably been the most elegant player there has ever been. I think what made our rivalry unique was that I was completely different. He seemed to have everything under control, while I fought for every ball, hit from very difficult positions, and often it seemed like I survived points. In my case, it didn't look like everything was under control.

That contrast between our playing styles and also between our personalities made us both better, learn from each other, and offer something very special to the audience".

Nadal acknowledges Djokovic and explains the secret of his longevity

At 39 years old, Novak Djokovic continues to compete for the most important titles on the circuit. Nadal believes that this ability to stay at the top level is due to a very specific reason.

"Novak is still there because he loves this sport and because he feels the passion for competing. As long as he maintains that motivation and his physique allows it, he will continue to have chances to fight for the most important tournaments. What he has achieved is extraordinary. All of us have pushed our careers to the limit, and he continues to do so. When someone has won as much as we have, the only reason to continue is because they still enjoy the competition and feel they can still be competitive".

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Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have all it takes to make a mark in an era

Nadal was also asked about the new great rivalry in the men's circuit and expressed confidence that both Alcaraz and Sinner have what it takes to dominate tennis for many years. "I think they have all the ingredients to build a very special rivalry. They are two extraordinary players, with different styles and distinct personalities. That always helps people identify with one or the other and makes the sport much more interesting.

Now, many things will depend on it. It will depend on injuries respecting them, on maintaining the enthusiasm and the passion to keep improving each season. No one can know what will happen in ten years, but the potential they have is enormous, and if everything goes well, they can lead to a very nice era for our sport".

Rafa Nadal believes that success is not measured solely by titles but by happiness

Beyond the trophies, Nadal explained that over the years, his way of understanding success has also changed, and he confessed that today he gives much more importance to personal life than to sports results.

"When you are an athlete, you often think that success consists solely of winning. Over time, you realize that there are many ways to be successful in life. For me, true success is waking up every morning being happy with the life you have, enjoying your family, the people around you, and feeling that you have done things in the best possible way".

Mallorca and his family, the refuge that allowed Nadal to stay true to himself

Nadal also explained that one of the best decisions he made during his career was to never change his way of living, always staying very close to his closest circle.

"Off the court, I was always a very normal person. I lived with my parents until I was well into my thirties. I never felt the need to change my life because I was successful. Returning to Mallorca always helped me a lot. There, everyone treated me exactly the same as before winning tournaments. That allowed me to maintain a very healthy perspective on who I really was. Now that I am retired, the good news is that I have completely returned to that life".

Even though he is no longer part of the professional circuit, Rafael Nadal continues to observe the evolution of tennis with the same interest he showed throughout his career. The Balearic enjoys a new personal stage, admires the ability of Novak Djokovic to continue defying time, and looks forward with enthusiasm to the emergence of a rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner that, in his opinion, possesses all the elements to shape the future of this sport over the next decade.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Nadal, sobre Djokovic: "Seguirá optando a ganar Grand Slams mientras mantenga el físico y la motivación"