"You could see that it was unhealthy": Rafael Nadal got addicted to tennis like a drug muses Andrea Petkovic

Rafael Nadal got addicted to tennis like it was a drug and as a result had a hard time getting rid of a part of his life that means so much said Andrea Petkovic during the latest episode of Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast.

Petkovic who mused about also Nadal and Federer and the adversities that the former faced in his career due to his rival on her Substack has debated long and hard the intricacies surrounding the end of Nadal's career.

But she said that speaking to Boris Becker gleamed that it is akin to a drug and that it became unhealthy for Nadal in the end as well as that it looked like it hurt him as a result.

Nadal retired recently at the Davis Cup Finals with a loss to Botic van de Zandschulp but only did so as it became very much apparent as it does with other legends in their twilight from Andy Murray to Roger Federer to Juan Martin del Potro that competing at that top level anymore isn't going to happen. But some soldier on and others accept their fate.

"And Boris [Becker], I know I keep bringing him up but I just saw him for a lot of times now lately, and he said to me, ‘It’s like a drug. Tennis is like a drug.’ He said, ‘Winning titles is a drug, playing on Centre Court is a drug,’” Petkovic said.

“I think with Rafa you could see when it turns into addiction, when it becomes hurtful for your life. You could tell that he was starting to neglect his being, like you could see that it was unhealthy, he was injured all the time, you could see it in his face. Rafa is not the most relaxed person in general,” she added.