Nearly two years have passed since Rafael Nadal hung up his racket at the Davis Cup Finals, and the 22-time Grand Slam champion has now opened up about the "pain" he endured on a daily basis throughout his career.

Compared to his two greatest rivals, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, Nadal was notably more susceptible to injury. The Spaniard was diagnosed early in his career with Muller-Weiss syndrome, a degenerative bone disorder affecting his left foot, which plagued him throughout his playing days, alongside a string of wrist, rib, and hip problems, among others.

Since bringing his illustrious career to a close in November 2024, Nadal has barely picked up a racket. The former world No. 1 did make a brief return to the court at the Rafa Nadal Academy Slam, an exhibition event marking 10 years of his Mallorcan tennis center.

However, the 40-year-old has candidly admitted that he now barely remembers being a tennis player.

Nadal's storied career has been immortalized in a new coffee table book from Assouline, featuring previously unseen photographs from both his professional and personal life. Yet that chapter now feels like a distant memory.

"I retired only two years ago, but it's already like another life that I was playing tennis," the Spaniard confided to The Athletic. "I almost forget that I was a tennis player. Life keeps going."

The book also details Nadal's battles with injuries — issues that eventually compelled him to call time on his playing days. He kicked off the 2022 campaign by winning his opening 20 matches, claiming silverware at the year's first two major championships — the Australian Open and French Open.

However, a torn abdominal muscle disrupted his momentum, forcing his withdrawal from Wimbledon at the semifinal stage, with just four tournaments played throughout the remainder of the year. Early in 2023, Nadal suffered a hip problem at the Australian Open and was sidelined for around 12 months.

Upon his comeback at the 2024 Brisbane International, he re-injured his hip, ruling him out of the Australian Open. Nadal remained absent until April, though he participated in seven additional tournaments before hanging up his racket.

Looking back on his physical challenges, Nadal remarked: "For me every moment was ... I always had not the fear but knew that it could be my last year on tour.

"The only positive thing I've taken from all the injuries was that I was able to enjoy more and put more value on the great moments. But I lived all my tennis career with pain - on a daily basis, I had too much pain."

Injuries also explain why Nadal doesn't long for life on the circuit. "I loved playing tennis. But I'm not missing much because I decided to retire at completely the right moment. I had nothing else to give," the 2008 Olympic champion said.

"My body was over, to be honest. I played with too many limitations, so that's it. That allowed me to finish in peace. There are plenty of things that are more important than tennis or sport. But the adrenaline and this special feeling that sport brings to you, it's something difficult to find outside."