Rafael Nadal wins prestigious Laureus Award – and reveals why he doesn’t miss tennis
Rafael Nadal has revealed he does not miss playing professional tennis and also admitted he would have continued playing if his body would have allowed it.
The legendary Spaniard was honoured with the Sporting Icon Award at the 2025 Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony in Madrid on Monday night.
“I don’t know how to start, honestly. I didn’t prepare for this amazing moment, talking in front of all of you,” Nadal said after he received the trophy.
“But a lot of you have been sportspeople that inspired [me] since I was a kid and having the chance to talk in front of you today is something very, very special.”
Nadal won the Laureus Sportsman of the Year award in 2011 and 2021.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion retired from tennis after playing his final match in November last year at the Davis Cup Finals.
Speaking to reporters at the ceremony, Nadal explained why he has no regrets over his decision to call time on his career.
“The truth is that I don’t miss tennis. Zero. I don’t miss it at all,” the 38-year-old said. “But not because I finished tired of tennis or fighting against tennis, not at all.
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“I finished my career happy and if I could have, I would have carried on, because I loved what I was doing.
“It was my passion and that’s been the case all my life. It’s just that when you realise that physically you can’t do it any more… you try to close that chapter. And I closed it.”
Rafa Nadal wins the 2025 Laureus Sporting Icon Award.
His career has been nothing if not iconic.
Fully deserved.
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) April 21, 2025
The former world No 1 added: “I delayed making my final decision because I needed time to be sure it was the right one.
“What would have been hard was sitting on my sofa wondering if I should keep trying to play.
“When I saw that my body wasn’t going to recover to the level I needed to continue enjoying myself on court, then I made the decision to stop.
“That’s why I don’t miss it. Because I finished with the peace of mind of knowing that I’d given it my all, and that my body couldn’t give any more.”
Five-time Laureus Sportsman of the Year winner Novak Djokovic presented pole vaulter Armand Duplantis with this year’s award.
Carlos Alcaraz was also present at the ceremony as he was nominated for the award.
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