Rafael Nadal has opened up about the one major trophy conspicuously missing from his otherwise remarkable collection. The Spaniard also explored the factors that prevented him from triumphing at one of the most prestigious tournaments on tour.

Nadal retired from professional tennis with an impressive 92 tour-level titles to his name, including 22 Grand Slam titles, 36 Masters 1000 crowns, and even an Olympic singles gold. However, the ATP Finals trophy eluded the former World No. 1 during his illustrious career.

Rafael Nadal fell short of clinching the title over the course of 11 appearances at the year-end championships, in stark contrast to Novak Djokovic’s seven wins and Roger Federer’s six. His best showings came in 2010 and 2013, when he finished as the runner-up to Federer and Djokovic, respectively. The 22-time Grand Slam champion concluded his career with a modest 21-18 win/loss record at the event.

In a recent interview with The National, Nadal reflected on the reasons behind his struggles at the ATP Finals. He admitted that he was often dealing with injuries and physical issues by the end of the season, which impacted his performance.

Additionally, the Spaniard acknowledged the formidable rivals he faced at the year-end championships and highlighted the difficulty of having to compete on indoor hard courts, which were not conducive to his playing style.

“I was a little bit unlucky that at the end of the season I was not in my best shape physically. A lot of time with injuries. Then I had very difficult rivals in front and I played all my career ATP Finals in indoor fast courts, on indoor hard, and at the beginning indoor carpet,” he said.

Although the former World No. 1 expressed regret over never triumphing at the ATP Finals, he confessed that he had no complaints since he had failed to capitalize on his chances at the event.

“But nothing to complain. If you ask me what I would have liked to win, of course I would love to have one of these. I had my chances; I was not able to convert them. That’s fine,” he added.

Rafael Nadal: “You can be sad, you can be angry, but at the end life continues and it’s about trying always to be happy”

Despite his disappointment over not winning the ATP Finals title, Rafael Nadal acknowledged that certain things were out of his control and emphasized the importance of trying to stay happy and appreciating his achievements.

“At the end of the day, things that you cannot control, you cannot control. You can be sad, you can be angry, but at the end life continues and it’s about trying always to be happy, accepting what you have in every single moment,” he said during the same interview.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion also credited his family’s unwavering support for helping him navigate the challenges of his career, highlighting his ability to return to the court with renewed motivation and passion after setbacks.

“I really think that I had a very positive example, with my family next to me. Honestly, I really accepted all the challenges of my tennis career, in terms of injuries, in terms of bad moments, and accepting that then it’s easy to survive and to come back with motivation, with passion, and that’s what I did. Accept how you are today and just work on how you will be tomorrow,” he added.

Nadal recently also shed light on post-retirement plans, expressing his desire to rekindle his love for the sports and hobbies he had set aside during his tennis career.