Rafael Nadal says he did not expect to be playing tennis at 36 — but "couldn't be happier"
Tennis superstar Rafael Nadal, now a 22-time Grand Slam winner, is shutting down retirement rumors again, telling "CBS Mornings" he "couldn't be happier" and is hoping to return to the U.S. Open this summer after missing the last two tournaments.
The 36-year-old won his 14th French Open singles title on Sunday, 17 years after winning for the first time in 2005. He is the oldest man ever to win the French Open, with a lifetime record of 112 wins and three losses in the clay-court tournament.
Nadal beat 23-year-old Casper Ruud of Norway in straight sets, despite a chronic foot injury that flared up at the Italian Open last month. But despite his age and injury, the Spaniard athlete wants to keep playing — even through the pain.
"Well, I'm used to it, first of all," he said in an interview from Paris on Monday. "At the end of the day, it's about passion and about how much you love what you do. And doing it all my tennis career, I think I had the determination to keep going.
"It doesn't matter the situation that brings me to the position that I am today, that is unexpected without a doubt because at the age of 36, I thought I would be doing other things, not playing tennis... But here I am, and I couldn't be happier," he said.
Nadal's latest win puts him two Grand Slam titles ahead of rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. He has said in recent days that he can never be sure whether his next match might be his last, particularly because of the chronic pain on his left foot.
Despite the uncertainty, Nadal said he "would love to keep going."
"Let's see how things evolve the next couple of weeks, months, and I hope to have the chance to keep going and play again in the U.S. Open," he said, noting that he hasn't competed in that tournament since winning his last title there in 2019.
"I am trying to come back. Let's see if I am able to make it happen," he said.
Nadal also discussed the "special" moment he won his latest title in Paris and the feeling of playing against younger athletes. His opponent on Sunday, Ruud, was only 6 years old when Nadal won his first French Open.
"For me, it's special to be able to feel myself competitive against the young players, and they are good," Nadal said. "And at my age, to be able to keep being competitive against everyone, well, it means a lot to me, honestly."