Rafael Nadal makes blunt admission about tennis after recent retirement

Speaking to the media at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid on Monday night, Nadal was frank about his time away from the courts. The Spanish legend said he doesn't miss playing, and his reason is because he left the game feeling "happy."

Nadal, 38, is largely considered one of the greatest of all time and had for decades competed alongside Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer for some of tennis' fiercest battles on the big stage. "The Big Three," as they became known as, have collectively earned 66 Grand Slam singles titles between them. 

Only Djokovic remains active. 

Nadal announced his retirement from the sport in October after injuries hampered the latter half of his career. 

"It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make," he said in his retirement announcement. "But, in this life, everything has a beginning and an end. And I think it's the appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have ever imagined."

Nadal did add Monday, that despite not missing anything, if he were still healthy today, he would still be playing. 

"If it had been possible, I would still be playing because I loved what I did," he said, according to the report. "I was passionate about it, and it's been like that my whole life. It's just that when you realize you can't do it anymore, you try to close that chapter. And I closed it."

His retirement followed Federer's in 2022. 

Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.