‘Trouble controlling breathing,” Rafael Nadal lays bare mental health struggles that forced him to consider taking ‘break from tennis’

Rafael Nadal in an essay titled, 'The Gift', opened up about his mental health struggles and how he overcame them.

‘Trouble controlling breathing,” Rafael Nadal lays bare mental health struggles that forced him to consider taking ‘break from tennis’

Rafael Nadal (via X)

Mental health struggles took a toll on Rafael Nadal and he was forced to consider remaining on the sidelines. The Spaniard however overcame those issues by working on it every day.

After retirement, Nadal for the first time shared his thoughts about his career. He looked back on his childhood, the people who shaped him, and the major chapter of his life that made him a legend. For the most part of his career, he knew how to control his emotions, but he revealed, a few years ago, he lost control over himself which made him think about taking a break.

Physical pain I was very used to, but there were times on the court when I had trouble controlling my breathing, and I couldn’t play at the highest level. I don’t have trouble saying it now. After all, we are human beings, not superheroes.

Rafael Nadal wrote in The Player’s Tribune

Though Nadal thought about taking a mental health break, he chose to move forward and keep working, and slowly he ‘conquered’ it.

Thankfully, I didn’t get to the point of not being able to control things like anxiety, but there are moments with every player when it’s difficult to control your mind, and when that happens it’s difficult to have total control of your game. There were months when I thought about taking a complete break from tennis to cleanse my mind.

Rafael Nadal added

Rafael Nadal recalls father’s values that taught him humility

Rafael Nadal wants to be remembered as a person who treats others with huge respect. He said his father Sebastian Nadal Homar‘s advice of ‘Inventing is hard. Copying is much easier’ when it comes to life has taught him to respect and admire even his rivals though it ‘didn’t work always’.

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal (via X)

Look around you and notice the people you admire. How they treat people. What you love about them. Act like them, and you will probably live a happy life.

Rafael Nadal wrote in The Player’s Tribune

The 22-time Grand Slam champion suffered a hip injury at the 2023 Australian Open which eventually forced him to retire. In his final match, he lost to Botic van de Zandschulp in the quarterfinal match against Netherlands in the Davis Cup.

The 38-year-old became the second member of the Big 3 to call time on his career after Roger Federer (in the 2022 Laver Cup). Nadal last won a Major at the 2022 French Open (which was his 14th title on Parisian clay).