I’m not scared of retirement: Nadal
Rafael Nadal admits he’s planning for retirement – but says the golf course and fishing can wait as he plots possibly his last serious tilt at Australian Open glory.
Nadal rarely utters the R-word but, in a candid and colourful interview, the 17-times grand slam champion has confessed to accepting the end is inevitable after almost 20 years of battering his body into submission.
‘‘Life has great things, not only tennis, so it is something that doesn’t scare me, to think about that day and that day is realistic,’’ the Spanish superstar said ahead of Monday’s start to the Open.
‘‘The day that I feel that I don’t have chances to compete for the things that make me happy will probably be the day to do another thing.
‘‘I am here to try and play a very good tournament in Melbourne and I believe if I have this good week of practice and I am able to have a good start in the tournament, why not? I am playing well [enough to win].’’
Turning 33 in June, and after being dogged by knee, back, wrist and abdominal injuries, not to mention ankle surgery in November, Nadal knows he’s in the tail end of his illustrious career and ‘‘of course’’ is thinking about life after tennis.
‘‘I prepare my future, of course. I have my tennis academy, a foundation. I have different things around the world that I have to take care [of] in the future and of course I will not be the guy who finished a tennis career and am going to stay at home fishing and playing golf every day.’’
Feeling relaxed and jovial before entering his intense grand slam mode, Nadal offered a fascinating insight into his passion for golf.
The tennis southpaw declared himself ‘‘a rightie’’ and modestly revealed how, despite being very much a part-timer, he plays off a two handicap.
‘‘One point eight, 1.7,’’ in fact, he said. ‘‘I am solid, more or less. I have nothing unbelievable but nothing [really weak].
‘‘I more or less have a good short game and I am solid with the driver. Being honest, I never take a lesson and I never go to the range and hit balls. I don’t have much time for it.
‘‘When I have the chance, the only thing that I like to do is go and play with the family or the friends.
‘‘For me, it’s a hobby, I’m not crazy about going from two to 1.7. I just don’t care about the handicap.’’
Asked what he needed to do to reduce his handicap to scratch, Nadal, with a chuckle, said: ‘‘Probably I need to not play tennis any more, that’s all.’’