The relentless tennis calendar, especially in 2025, has become a growing point of tension, with players across both tours voicing fatigue. However, now, after a year-long absence from the court, Rafael Nadal has added his perspective, revealing why he couldn’t skip a single tournament despite the exhausting pace during his time on court.

One year has passed since Rafael Nadal stepped away from the tour. However, recently, he sat down with Jorge Valdano on the Movistar+ program Universo Valdano to reflect on his career from a new point of view. The interview offered a more personal and thoughtful look at his journey in tennis.

During the conversation, Nadal spoke about the Big 3 and how the sport evolved. He also explained why he rarely skipped tournaments during his peak years.

“We came from Pete Sampras, who had 14 Grand Slams. It’s human that some of our generation, when they reached 14, might have thought it was the maximum.”

He continued by emphasising the constant pressure among him, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic.

“Being three of us, not two, never left room for relaxation. The demand was maximum. We never stopped demanding from each other. You had no margin for throwing tournaments. That’s the greatness of our era. We were always in the final rounds competing for the most important tournaments. I don’t think one alone would have been able to do it.”

Nadal also spoke about how tennis has changed, but not as much as people believe. “I don’t think it changed that much. The world evolves, and the way of playing is a bit different. The shots are stronger, the serving is stronger.”

He added his belief in playing with feel rather than relying heavily on data. “I still believe in intuition, not playing like a robot trying to guess according to statistics. It’s something I talked about with Federer, and he didn’t like having an excess of information.”

Throughout his career, Nadal played 1,308 ATP singles matches. His record includes 1,080 wins and 228 losses. Yet, at the same time, he also missed 16 majors due to injuries, including 3 French Opens, 2 Australian Opens, 5 Wimbledons, and 5 US Opens. Those absences highlight both the intensity of his career and the cost of competing at the highest level.

Yet Nadal never slowed down until last year, when he played his final match at the Davis Cup in Málaga. His journey began back in 2001 at just 15 years old, at a time when Roger Federer had already spent three years competing at the top level. Federer himself won his first junior Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 1998, signalling the start of a new generation. 

Now, with Nadal retired and Federer already gone, only Novak Djokovic remains active on tour from the legendary Big Three.

And later in the same interview, Nadal admitted that he gave everything he had until his body no longer allowed it.

Rafa reflects on his retirement thoughts after one year

Rafael Nadal’s legacy will always be tied to his records. He won 14 French Open titles, 22 Grand Slams, and spent nearly 20 years ranked inside the top 10. But numbers alone do not define him. Fans also remember his fierce battles with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic and the intensity he brought to every single match.

His playing style was physical and demanding. It earned him success, but it also led to many injuries. Even his 1st Roland Garros appearance was delayed by a year because his body needed recovery. His final French Open title came with the help of pain-killing injections, showing the cost of playing at such a high level. Now, one year into retirement, Nadal has finally opened up about how he felt during the final stage of his career. 

“I was prepared because I pushed my options to the end. The fact that I had pushed all the real options I had to continue competing at the level that I would have liked to continue competing until the end gave me the conviction and peace of mind to finish in peace and convinced that it was the decision I had to make because there was no more. The tank was already out of nothing.”

He explained that the hardest part was not the decision, but accepting the reality.

“I didn’t retire because I was tired of what I was doing or without the necessary motivation. I retired because my body couldn’t take it anymore. I was still happy doing what I did.”

Doctors told him that surgery might help him recover fully. Nadal wanted to give himself a fair chance. He said he needed time to test whether competing at a high level was still possible. But eventually, he understood. He realised he could still play, but not at the level needed to fight for major titles.

“There came a point when I realized that I could compete, but not with that at the level I needed to continue. I pushed my race to the limit, as far as I could take it.”

Today, Nadal is officially retired. Earlier this year, he received a massive standing ovation at Roland Garros, where his footprint is now permanently carved into the clay.

And while his playing days are over, many fans still hope that one day he will return to the court, even if only for an exhibition, alongside Federer and Djokovic, the trio that defined a tennis era.