It's been about six months since Rafael Nadal officially left the game of tennis. And he doesn't miss it at all.
In a surprising admission from the all-time great, Nadal said he misses tennis "zero" after being given the Sporting Icon honor at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid on Tuesday night.
"The truth is I don't miss it," Nadal said. "In fact, I miss it zero. But I miss it zero not because I finished tired of tennis or fighting against tennis. Not at all, the complete opposite. I finished happy with tennis."
Oftentimes it's the greatest athletes who have trouble moving on after retiring; it's a tough transition, to be so dominant for so long before a sudden and clean break from the game. But Nadal doesn't sound like he falls into that category because he retired without any regrets.
He certainly made the most of his career. Nadal holds numerous all-time records in the game of tennis and is the No. 2 all-time earner. He left it all out on the courts.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Rafael Nadal Gave Surprisingly Frank Quote About Missing Tennis in Retirement .