Rafael Nadal thought about taking a mental health break from tennis a few years ago but “conquered it by always moving forward” and “slowly became myself again,” the 22-time Grand Slam champion writes in an essay posted online Tuesday, less than a month after the last match of his career.
“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,” Nadal says on The Player's Tribune.
