Rafael Nadal gives deep insights: "I had doubts whether I should stop"
After another successful year with two Grand Slam titles, Rafael Nadal gave deep insights into his emotional world in an interview. The Spaniard admitted to thinking of resigning in spring 2019. A tournament on his beloved clay court brought about a change.
by Lukas Zahrer
last edit: Dec 27, 2019, 07:02 am
"To be honest, I never thought of playing tennis at my age," said Nadal in an interview with AS. “I've always been told that I wouldn't have a long career with my style of play. At some point I also believed in it and thought that I would already be in the pension and have a family. ”
Nadal currently seems far from resigning. The 33-year-old not only won his twelfth title at the French Open last season, but also the 19th major triumph of his career at the US Open in September.
At the ATP Finals in London, he was eliminated after the group phase despite two wins, but secured again the position at the top of the ATP world rankings. A fact that seemed almost impossible at the beginning of the season.
"I experienced a lot. Some incredibly positive, but also some really tough moments, ”said Nadal. He couldn't forget how bad the beginning of the season was. In Brisbane, he had to retire due to an injury in the quadriceps. “It's little things that you like to forget. But at that moment it tore me apart, "Nadal admitted.
Rafael Nadal: Indian Wells "was the worst moment"
After a bitter dismissal in the final of the Australian Open against Novak Djokovic, he had wrist pain in Acapulco. In Indian Wells, he could not compete against Roger Federer in his semi-finals because his knee did not play along. "That was the worst moment," said Nadal.
The Mallorcan was accompanied by many doubts in preparation for the clay court season. Before the start in Monte Carlo, he even finished the training to get his head fresh and to change his mind. Nadal started in Monaco with an infection in the nail, causing pain in one finger.
"I was really drained and had doubts whether to continue or stop because I had problems week after week," said Nadal. In Barcelona, he locked himself in his hotel room for a day to come to terms with himself. Together with the support of his family and carers, he found his motivation again. A clear 6: 3, 6: 3 win against David Ferrer caused a rethink and a change.
He later lost to Dominic Thiem, who secured the Barcelona title. But self-confidence was back, Nadal won in Rome and a little later in Paris. “It was highly complicated mental work, mainly because of my ambitious goals. I changed a few things with my team, ”said Nadal.
For example, he changed his serve to play more aggressively and give him a chance for a longer career. "I've never served the second serve as hard as in 2019 because the next serve should be an offensive one."
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Rafael Nadal: A wish - no injuries
For the coming season, Nadal primarily wants health. "I want to be happy," said Nadal briefly. He is ambitious, but without exaggerating in the new season. The 20 Grand Slam titles are close, but Nadal wants to be able to say at the end of the year that he gave everything.
He advises the new generation to focus on the big tournaments. Specifically, he named Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Dominic Thiem as major opponents. He also believes Denis Shapovalov can make a big leap, Jannik Sinner's progress is simply "incredible".
Click here for the entire interview with Rafa Nadal (in Spanish).