Rafael Nadal has left a lasting mark on the tennis world, with fans missing the presence of the legendary figure on the ATP Tour.
Andy Roddick thinks Nadal is among the greatest volleyers ever, with that area of his game one of many that helped fire him to huge success.
Nadal retired from tennis at the Davis Cup last November, with 92 ATP Tour titles among his stunning achievements.
The Spaniard reached number one in the world rankings, and is behind only Novak Djokovic in the all-time men’s Grand Slam titles list.
He finished his career with 22 such titles, two behind Djokovic and two ahead of fellow legend Roger Federer.
How Rafael Nadal has been preparing himself for a tennis return since retirement
Nadal isn’t thinking of coaching now, but he has just provided an update on his current activities in retired life.
“I love sports in general, and my life has always been linked to sports,” said the 39-year-old, as quoted by Sport.
“But I became especially interested in golf when I was a professional because it was a sport that allowed me to do something I enjoyed outside of tennis and with minimal risk of injury.
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“I loved playing football and other things, but there was a risk of injury that I had to avoid. Now I’ve played football several times. After 15 years without playing, I’ve become bad at it. I play how I can. Usually as a forward.
“At the moment, I’m doing a little bit of everything; I’m keeping some routines from when I played tennis to protect my knees and shoulders, which is the most dangerous in our sport.
“And I’m getting ready for when I decide to play a bit of tennis again, even if it’s in a different way, but it will help me be more or less ready.”
What did Rafael Nadal achieve in his phenomenal tennis career?
Nadal clearly knows how to look after his body at this moment in time, having put himself through extraordinary levels of physical and mental stress for several years.
He is fully deserving of a rest, although like many retired athletes is undoubtedly keen to stay as active as possible.
And again like others in the sporting world, Nadal is hugely talented across many fields, namely golf and football.
But he will, of course, be remembered for his phenomenal tennis career, in which he won all four Grand Slam events.
| Career-high rank | 1 |
| Titles | 92 |
| Grand Slams | 22 |
| Win-loss | 1080-228 |
| Prize money | $134,946,100 |
He has gone down as one of the greatest players and indeed greatest athletes of all time, having particularly shone on clay.
His record of 14 French Open titles will likely never be broken, although fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz is doing a fantastic job in following in his footsteps at Roland Garros.
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