Rafael Nadal explains how he, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic achieved incredible feats and enjoyed ‘long careers’

He followed the footsteps of his long-time rival and colleague, Roger Federer, who announced his retirement at the 2022 Laver Cup. Djokovic is the only player out of the three who is playing till now.

It is fair to say that without one of us, without the other two, we would not have achieved the numbers that all three of us have achieved. In some ways, we pushed our limits in every sense of the word. Physically, it hurt us a lot, but on a tennis and mental level, it took us to a higher level of demand. That is also why we were able to have such a long career, Nadal told Mundo Deportivo.

Nadal had a 24-16 record against Federer but saw a 29-31 against Djokovic. Djokovic leads in the head-to-head contests with both Nadal and Federer, with a 27-23 lead over the 43-year-old.

Rafael Nadal is enjoying his life post-retirement

It seems like Rafael Nadal doesn’t miss tennis much because he suffered from many injuries in the last few years which helped him move on after his retirement. He also mentioned that by not pushing himself again and again, he has gained peace of mind.

Now I’m able to live with very little pain and that’s very important for me. In the end, getting up and going down the stairs normally is a very important step forward for me in my daily life, being able to live with the peace of mind of not having much pain, Nadal concluded.

He didn’t finish there as he went on to make his feelings known about his future. He did not mention one particular thing that he needs to be doing and wants to discover what motivates him after his retirement.

Nadal was last seen on the court in the 2024 Davis Cup and his last Men’s singles clash was at the Swedish Open. He had reached the final which was his first and last of the 2024 season as he was defeated by Nuno Borges in straight sets.