Rafael Nadal has admitted that he contemplated quitting tennis last year.
He says he had discussions on this with members of his staff and family during the worst days of his six-month injury hiatus in 2021.
Afterwards, Nadal spoke openly about the uncertainty that surrounded his comeback to play following Friday’s 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 triumph over Matteo Berrettini.
According to The Guardian, the foot injury drained his hope in tennis all Nadal saw was dark days and impossibilities.
“I went through a lot of challenging moments, a lot of days of hard work without seeing a light there,” noted Nadal.
However, the 35-year-old attributes his stay in the game to support and encouragement by his team.
“But still working and still receiving plenty of support from my team and from my family, too, without a doubt. A lot of conversations with the team, with the family about what can happen or what’s going to happen if the things continue like this, thinking that maybe is a chance to say goodbye,” he said.
Rafael Nadal beat Denis Shapovalov to sail through to Australian Open semi-finals. Photo/Sky Sports
Why Did Rafael Nadal Consider Quitting Tennis?
Recurrence of a long-standing foot issue that Nadal has had since childhood made him withdraw from the tour.
It was for the better half of 2021 – after losing the French Open in June. In August, he entered the Citi Open in Washington, D.C., with the intention of competing, but he withdrew shortly thereafter.
He says that he couldn’t practice for a long period. Sometimes he was able to practice for 20 minutes, sometimes 45 minutes. Other times, he couldn’t practice for over two hours.
Imagining that he would play at the best-of-five level of the Australian Open 2022 was a mirage.
However, Nadal battled it up and sent signs he would play in Melbourne after playing Andy Murray in Abu Dhabi in December.
He played in Mubadala World Tennis Championship. Tournament organisers released Nadal’s footage preparing for his comeback match and his fans couldn’t keep calm.
In November 2021, he expressed optimism in playing in Abu Dhabi but added that his injury was yet to heal completely.
Even now, he adds that the injury will live with him until he hangs his tennis boots.
“The doubts are going to be here probably for the rest of my career, without a doubt, because I have what I have and that’s something that we cannot fix. But for me it’s amazing, and I’m super happy to be able to compete for the last three weeks at the level that I am doing.”
Did COVID-19 Positive Test Affect Rafael Nadal?
In December 2021, Nadal tested positive for COVID-19. Nadal revealed he tested positive for coronavirus when he arrived in Spain from Abu Dhabi for the Mubadala Tennis Championship.
He said that he tested positive for COVID-19 while in Kuwait. A few days before his departure from Spain, he tested negative.
Then, he said that he had some unpleasant moments but hoped that he would improve little by little.
Rafael Nadal Australian Open 2022
Nadal is excited after advancing to the third round of the Australian Open on Wednesday after defeating Hanfmann.
Nadal beat Hanfmann in three straight sets – 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 – and booked a slot in the tournament’s third round.
The 20-time Grand Slam Champion said post-match that his game has improved after months of battling a foot injury.
Nadal maintains that his primary objective is staying in proper form this season after battling an injury for months last season.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion stated that he wanted to play with greater aggression on the court. However, he hasn’t had much opportunity to alter his style of play.
Nadal will on Saturday, January 29 take on Russian Danill Medvedev in the Australian Open final at Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne.
After reaching the Australian Open final on Friday, Nadal is one victory away from a record-breaking 21st major slam trophy.
Rafael Nadal . Photo/Eurosport
Nadal defeated Italy’s Matteo Berrettini in four sets, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, to advance to Sunday’s final against Daniil Medvedev.
Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic share the men’s singles grand slam record (20) with Rafael Nadal, but the Spaniard now has the opportunity to surpass them.
However, he says all he cares about now is the fact that he made it to the Australian Open finals and not so much about winning.
“For me it’s all about the Australian Open more than anything else…I feel very lucky that I won it once in my career in 2009 but I never thought about another chance in 2022.”
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