by Rafael Nadal has admitted he has some regrets as he prepares to retire – and believes Novak Djokovic will suffer a “bit of a nervous breakdown” after retiring from the sport.
The 38-year-old recently confirmed he was quitting tennis after a glittering career in which he won an incredible 22 Grand Slam titles.
Nadal is one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
But he has confirmed he has some regrets as he prepares to close the curtain on his illustrious career.
Rafael Nadal recently announced his retirement from tennis
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“Yes, of course, that’s all I want to say,” he said.
“Of course I would change things, sure. Anyone who says no, that they wouldn’t change anything, is deeply arrogant.”
“Of course I have made many mistakes in my career and also in my life. You accept it and look forward.”
“On Monday we all always know what we would have done on Friday. But I always tried to do things according to my feelings and with good intentions.”
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“And what did I do wrong? What decisions did I make that caused me more problems later? Yes, but often it worked out well for me and I ended up winning very important tournaments.”
“So where’s the balance? If we knew on Monday whether we had always chosen the conservative option, then maybe I would have 12 Grand Slams instead of what I have.”
“It’s always difficult to find the perfect balance, but of course if I were to go back now I would tell you exactly the points where I wouldn’t repeat what I did.”
With Nadal set to retire alongside Andy Murray and Roger Federer, this means Djokovic is the only member of the Big Four still playing.
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And Nadal believes Djokovic will soon follow him and quit tennis once he suffers a “minor nervous breakdown”.
“I think it’s human that Novak, even if he’s still healthy, is at a certain age and it’s logical that time takes its toll on all of us, and that as soon as Federer is gone, as soon as I’m gone “I’ve been since we left.” “Although he’s been his two big rivals, at some point he’ll have a little nervous breakdown and find a reason to step down,” he continued.
“It happens to everyone. And Novak is good enough that, when healthy, he can continue to compete at the highest level and strive to win the most important tournaments.”
“And if he’s still happy with what he’s doing, he’ll continue to do it. If at some point everything he has to do to have a chance of continuing to be at the highest level is no longer worth it, then he will do it. Step aside, that’s what I think.
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Rafael Nadal has won an incredible 22 Grand Slams throughout his career
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“And the others have the opportunity for a long career with a lot of success.”
“These two [Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz] stand above all others. I don’t see any rival that can permanently eclipse them.
“There are obviously a lot of very good people in everyday life.
“But in the medium term there is no one who can really keep up with them unless they have an injury that prevents them from playing at the same level.”
Rafael Nadal believes Novak Djokovic will suffer a “minor nervous breakdown” before announcing his retirement
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Nadal will retire from tennis next month as a Davis Cup player.
Their first game of the week is against the Netherlands on November 19th.
