Rafael Nadal has played only 13 matches since the last year’s Wimbledon, dealing with injuries and planning to end his career in 2024. Rafa has been struggling with injuries and setbacks throughout his career, missing many notable tournaments and not playing at his 100% at many others.
Despite that, the Spaniard has always had a great passion for the game, rising above all the challenges and achieving an incredible career that saw him winning 22 Majors. Speaking about his journey at the 2020 Paris Masters, Nadal acknowledged his desire always to bounce back and chase notable titles.
Hungry to push stronger and overcome challenges, Nadal has always been coming back, supported by his family and team.A five-time year-end no. 1 player stayed competitive at Majors for 18 seasons, winning his first title in 2005 and adding two to his tally a year ago.
Rafa had a tough couple of years in 2015 and 2016 before returning to where he belonged in 2017. The Spaniard secured his 20th Major crown in October 2020 at Roland Garros, matching Roger Federer and looking good to pass him in 2021.
Instead, Rafa had a poor season for his standards, losing to Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros and dealing with injuries. Eager to fix that, Nadal claimed the season’s opening two Majors in 2022, leaving Federer and Djokovic behind and becoming the first player with 22 Major titles on his tally.
Rafael Nadal spoke about his passion and desire for tennis at the 2020 Paris Masters.
However, everything turned into a disaster for the Spaniard at Wimbledon, experiencing an abdominal injury and not recovering by the end of the year.
Rafa wished for a fresh start in 2023, but his journey was roughly stopped following a hip injury at the Australian Open. Nadal underwent surgery, hoping to train injury-free in a couple of months and end his career on his terms at some point in 2024.
“I’m proud of many things in my career. I faced injuries during different parts of it, and I have always held a passion for the game and what I do. In the toughest moments of my tennis journey, I stayed hungry to keep going and humbled to accept all the challenges and the fact that things were not going the way that I expected in some moments.
People around me and my family have always supported me, and nothing of this would not be possible without them,” Rafael Nadal said.
