Rafael Nadal has indeed turned the page.
More than a year after announcing his professional retirement, the man with 14 Roland‐Garros titles was “cooked” during a recent interview with our colleagues at AS on his motivation after his last training sessions at his academy. Excerpts.
Question. Over the past few days, while you’ve been training, has it occurred to you that “if I was in shape…with what I still have…”?
Rafael Nadal: “No, because I was no longer in good shape. Fortunately, this period is definitely over. I’ve never been one to say “if I could…”. I was telling Marc López that when he was retired and we were training, he thought that if he came back, maybe he could do something… And I told him: “That period is over, buddy”. Now, my physique allows me to do what I can, and I think my mind does too. There comes a time, when we have stopped the routine, when we can no longer get back into the swing of things. It’s very complicated. I trained two or three times with girls from the Academy, with Alina (Korneeva) and Alex (Eala), just for fun, honestly. With no other motivation than to have a good time kicking the ball, supporting them and making them happy. That’s how it happened and that’s how I take it: without interest or particular expectations. »
Published on Monday December 29, 2025 at 6:40 p.m.
