“My new life as a dad. I don’t think about retirement. Federer, Djokovic and I have pushed ourselves to the limit»- Corriere.it

An assessment at the end of a season with two Grand Slam tournaments won, the relationship with the eternal rival and friend Federer, the new life as a father, the foot injury “so I was thinking of retiring”. Rafa Nadal talks about himself without dodging any questions, he always goes straight to the point. Starting right from Rafael junior, the first child born a few months ago: «His arrival was a drastic change, I had to reorganize myself also from a professional point of view. I am happy — he tells in an interview with Brand —. I enjoy a new stage of life. I always thought I would become a father at the end of my career but luckily my career lasted much longer than I expected. So I have to learn to live with this novelty, always trying to be competitive».

For Nadal, the final assessment of this 2022 is «fantasticeven though I suffered a lot. And she looks back on a year full of satisfactions: «The first months were exciting, because I was coming from a complicated period and my foot wasn’t well. Before the Australian Open I contracted covid in Abu Dhabi and stayed at home for 10 days. Wasn’t sure about going to Melbourne. Then I started playing, but I never thought I’d play one of the best finals there (against Medvedev, beaten in 5 sets). In Indian Wells I broke a rib in the semifinal against Alcaraz. I couldn’t breathe in the dressing room that day, but I still played in the final because they told me it was a muscle spasm. From that moment my season was more complicated».

Yes, because the injuries arrive: «I left Rome with a limp. If the doctors hadn’t found a solution to numb the nerve in my foot I wouldn’t have been able to win Roland Garros. I arrived in Paris poorly prepared but I played well when needed, in the quarterfinals against Djokovic. Then I’m realistic, the semifinal with Zverev could have ended differently if he hadn’t injured his ankle». At Wimbledon a new problem, to the abs: «After Roland Garros I was happy even if I was afraid of having to retire if a stable solution was not found for the foot, I could not continue with those chronic pains. But the new treatment worked, and in fact in London I played well before hurting my abs (he withdrew before the semi-final with Kyrgios) ».

Nadal returns to the speech of the Goat, the greatest tennis player ever. Who is he, Federer or Djokovic? “My thinking hasn’t changed over the years. One will be the best, but it’s not easy to define because everyone has arguments to support one player over another, net of objective data. In the end it counts that both Federer and Djokovic have done much more than we dreamed of. We have reached numbers never touched before in our sport, so the three of us we will enter the history of tennis. We pushed each other to the limitotherwise none of us would have made it to 35 competitive years. Obviously I’d love to be the one to end up with the most Grand Slam titles, but she’s never been an obsession and never will be. I thank life because I have been able to do so many things that I never would have dreamed of when I was a kid.”

Some wishes of the Spaniard: «In an ideal world I would like to play the Davis Cup one last time, but it depends on many factors». On the subject of withdrawal, he does not go too far: “I still don’t see my retirement. Roger’s was a sad and emotional day at the same time. He is a sports icon, he was also tough as a tennis lover. I don’t see it for a simple fact: I’m not someone who tries to predict or prepare for the future, because things change quickly. I know that moment is closer than last year. But it’s something that when it has to happen, it will happen. I wish it was on a tennis court”. Rafa also talks about the Next Gen: «Alcaraz is a special player, he will mark an era. These guys will also be able to take advantage of the fact that Federer has retired, and Djokovic and I play less.”