Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal revealed that his body has been dealing with the toll of playing the sport at the highest level since he turned professional at 15.

In a recent interview with Movistar Plus, the 37-year-old mentioned that the constant pain in different parts of his body has affected the quality of his life.

"I often find it difficult to go down the stairs at home in the morning. When this happens, and it does happen, it is difficult to be very happy," Nadal quipped.

Nadal is recovering from hip surgery, which caused him to miss most of the current year. His uncle and former coach, Toni, hinted that he could return by the 2024 Australian Open if things go well.

The 22-time Grand Slam winner also said that he knows that at this stage of his career, it would be difficult to win another major tournament.

Nadal added that physical problems have prevented him from training regularly, making achieving certain goals difficult or even impossible.

Nadal acknowledges wrong decisions

The left-handed player confessed that he made some wrong decisions in his life and career, and one of them is about protecting his physique over the course of his career, contrary to his rival Novak Djokovic, who has done a great job.

"Djokovic, he has done better because his way of playing has allowed him to play more than me," Nadal mentioned.

The Serbian star is showing no signs of slowing down, winning the 2023 US Open earlier this month at 36.