Rafael Nadal has turned his attention to another sport after retiring from professional tennis.

Rafael Nadal admitted he hadn’t touched a tennis racket as he discussed retirement (Image: Getty)

Rafael Nadal has opened up on life in retirement after ending his career in November.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion hung his racket up at the Davis Cup Finals and hasn’t picked it up since.

But Nadal has been enjoying a new sport as he finds ways to avoid boredom.

Nadal announced his retirement plans last October, and a few weeks later, he bid farewell to professional tennis when Spain lost their Davis Cup tie.

The 38-year-old has made limited appearances since. He popped up at the Next Gen ATP Finals in December as part of his Saudi tennis ambassador commitments but has otherwise steered clear from the sport.

There have been plenty of snaps of Nadal on the golf course and he’s entered some amateur events. But the Spaniard has now shared his passion for another sport as he shed light on his post-tennis plans.

“At the moment I’m always doing things, which I think is how it should be,” Nadal told Movistar after meeting with the Spanish Olympic Committee.

“In life, it’s very important to have goals, if you don’t have them, you can end up getting bored. I’m a person who has to have things to do, I like it. It’s a time to organise this new stage and that’s what we’re doing.

“It’s recent, I stopped playing three months ago, but at the moment I’m well adapted. I’ve done less sport than I would like. I’ve started playing football again, which is a joy.”

The Spaniard was a promising footballer when he was younger and one of his uncles, Miguel Angel Nadal, played for Barcelona. While Nadal has found joy in one of his old favourite sports, he’s been avoiding tennis for injury reasons.

The former No. 1 continued: “I haven’t picked up a racket again, you have to give it time.

“When I stopped playing, my foot was in pain for a month, it was very bad. I lost my rhythm a little, otherwise I would have kept playing.

“I lost my step a little, but at some point I will pick it up again without a doubt. As with everything, when you finish a stage, you need a moment to disconnect and that’s what I’m doing.”

While Nadal has yet to return to the tennis court, he confirmed that he wants to stay involved in sports. “Just because you’re a great athlete doesn’t mean you’re any better than a normal person,” he added.

“I think some very successful people lose perspective. I’ve been lucky enough to have a family and a close team that helped me to avoid that from happening.

“My life will continue to be linked to sport because it’s a fundamental part of it. I need a period of adaptation and organisation.”