Rafael Nadal recently made his feelings known about a match he could play again. The Spaniard ended his monumental tennis career after retiring in October 2024.

A video of Nadal was uploaded by one of the X users recently, where he was seen being involved in a fun Q&A session in an interview. While talking about several aspects, he was asked which match he would like to play once again. Answering this, he revealed that he would like to play the 2014 Australian Open final again, which was against Stan Wawrinka. Wawarinka won the match with a score of 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 after Nadal sustained a back injury.

Revealing the reason behind choosing this match, the Spaniard said:

“I believe that if I could play a game again, maybe it was the 2014 Australian Open final to see if I don’t get hurt.”

Following this, he was also asked what he misses the most about playing on the tour. In reply, he said:

“I think the adrenaline, pre match nerves, and also the feeling of going out on the court in the end, it’s something. I think it is something difficult to find outside of the world of sport.”

Nadal made his professional debut in 2001, when he was just 14 years old, and in two years he made a name for himself by breaking into the world top 50. He made his Grand Slam debut in 2003 at Wimbledon and became the youngest man after Boris Becker in 1984 to make the last 32. He is retired and spends time with his family while focusing on his academy.

Rafael Nadal opens up about the career path he would have chosen other than tennis

During the same interview, Rafael Nadal was also asked if he hadn’t been a tennis player, what would he have wanted to be. In reply, Nadal said that he had no idea because he never imagined a career outside of tennis. He stated that because he started playing the sport at a very young age, his mind never wandered beyond it.

“I have no idea because either fortunately or unfortunately I started too young when I was still… No, I didn’t imagine my life other than being a tennis player, not in the end. I have been a professional since I was 15 years old and at that time in my life I don’t think I had yet decided what it is that I would have wanted to do otherwise if it didn’t turn out well,” said Rafael Nadal.

Along with this, Nadal also shared a piece of advice for someone just starting out in tennis.

“I believe that strive everyday to improve. I believe this is the most important thing. In the end, I believe that people that is successful are the people who is capable of being in continuous improvement,” he added.

Rafael Nadal announced his retirement on October 10, 2024, by sharing a video on his social media platforms. He played his last game on November 19 at the Davis Cup Finals as he suffered a loss at the hands of Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp.