Rafael Nadal has opened up about the mental toll playing at the elite level and dealing with injuries had on him. The Spaniard has revealed how he dealt with the weight of the pressure by seeking help and attempting to prioritize his mental health.
Rafael Nadal Opens Up About Mental Health Struggles During Playing Career
Regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Nadal won 92 ATP Tour titles over the course of his glittering career. The 22-time Grand Slam champion was one of the leading players in tennis for two decades, and formed the famed ‘Big 3’ alongside rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
However, playing at the top level over a career spanning so long certainly took its toll on Nadal’s mental health, as he revealed in an interview with CNN. Nadal had to deal with several injuries throughout his career, including chronic knee and ankle problems that forced him to take extended spells on the sidelines.
“Probably because I went through a lot of injuries, a lot of pressure, and arrived in a moment where, in some way, you are not able to handle all of this – even if in my mind I was able to handle all of this,” he said.
Nadal revealed that he visited a psychiatrist around 2015 and took medication to help with his mental health, which helped him get back on track on the court.
“But it arrived at a point where your mind fails, and that’s what happened. I needed to find help and that’s what I did… I started with some medication for a while and I was able to start feeling improvements after a couple of months. That was for around a year and then, of course, I recovered,” he added.
Nadal went two years without a Grand Slam title in 2015 and 2016, but returned to the top in 2017 by winning the French Open and the US Open. That was his longest spell without a Grand Slam triumph until the very end of his career, when he was frequently sidelined with injuries.
The ‘King of Clay’ called time on his playing career in 2024 and has since focused on venues outside the sport. But he remains connected to the sport through his academy, and recently also helped Iga Świątek pick Francisco Roig as her new coach.
