‘I never fear about that day’ – Rafael Nadal admits he came close to retiring just weeks before Wimbledon

Rafael Nadal has admitted he was close to retirement just weeks before Wimbledon as he remains on course for his third Grand Slam this year.

Nadal booked his place in the third round at Wimbledon with a victory over Ricardas Berankis on Thursday evening.

The Spaniard came into the competition having not played a single competitive match since winning the French Open earlier this month, with a foot injury disrupting his preparation plans having battled through the pain barrier at Roland Garros.

At 36, Nadal is fully aware he is approaching the end of his career but remains on his quest for a remarkable calendar-year Grand Slam having also won the Australian Open in January.

While he was until very recently ready to walk away from the sport, the 22-time Grand Slam winner insists he will have no fear when that day comes.

‘My philosophy is couple of weeks ago I was close to it [retirement],” Nadal told a press conference. ‘Now I don’t feel that way (smiling). That’s my philosophy.

‘It’s something that I am not… I never had fear about that day. I think I am happy that I had a very happy life outside of tennis, even if tennis is a very important part of my life for the last 30 years.

‘I have been happy outside of tennis, without a doubt. I have a lot of things that I like to do away from tennis, so I am not worried about that. But, of course, when that day arrives, going to be a change. All the changes in this life takes a while. You need to adapt to the changes.

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