Rafael Nadal reveals that he has ‘been nervous before every match’

Former World No.1 Rafael Nadal has admitted he has felt nervous before every match. Nadal recently decided to hang his racquet after playing for Spain in the Davis Cup quarterfinals against the Netherlands at the Malaga.

The Spaniard had a glorious career, winning a total of 22 Grand Slam titles, out of which 14 were French Open titles.

Nadal said on Players Tribune, “Honestly, I have been nervous before every match I have ever played — it never leaves you. Every night before a match, I went to bed feeling that I could lose, and also when I woke up in the morning!”

The veteran added that one has to bring his A-game to the court to get the better of the opponent at the top level as the margin of errors is very thin.

The 38-year-old continued, “In tennis, the difference between players is very thin, and between rivals even more. When you go out there on the court, anything can happen, so all your senses must be awake, alive. That feeling, the inner fire and the nerves, the adrenaline of walking out and seeing a full court, it is a sensation that is very difficult to describe.

“It is a sensation that only a few can understand, and something that I am sure will never be the same now that I am retiring as a professional. There still will be those moments playing exhibitions and maybe other sports, too. I will always compete and try to give the best I can, but it won’t be the same feeling as walking out in front of the fans at any given stadium.”

As Nadal struggled a lot with injuries, he said there were times when he wanted to take an indefinite break from the game but kept going despite all the adversities.

 “There were months when I thought about taking a complete break from tennis to cleanse my mind. In the end, I worked on it every day to get better.

“I conquered it by always moving forward and I slowly became myself again. The thing that I’m most proud of is that I may have struggled, but I never quit. I always gave the maximum.”