On Monday, Rafael Nadal was honored with the Extraordinary Trophy at the Gran Gala of Mundo Deportivo in Barcelona. He opened up about his transition away from professional sports and his plans for the future.

“I’m fine, perfect, doing a different kind of work, but trying to organise what my life is right now and what my life will be in the future. All changes take time, but personally I’m very well. I’m getting used to a new stage of my life. The last years of my career were difficult and that helps me not to miss it so much. I only retired three months ago, not a year ago, so I can’t be completely clear, but at the moment I’m well,” Rafa shared.

Our champ expressed gratitude for his career and the opportunities it provided. “The most important thing is that I’ve been lucky enough to be able to do what I was passionate about from a young age. It started out as a hobby and it was a very important part of my life and that’s the most important thing to me. Thanks to tennis I’ve been able to have experiences that will stay with me for the rest of my life. So all I can do is be grateful to my sport, to life, and to all the people that have helped me or stepped into my life at some point!”

Despite stepping away from professional tennis, Rafa acknowledged that he is still adapting to life without the routine of competition. “Now I’m slightly in pain, I’m honestly not pushing myself. I’m living with very little pain and that’s very important to me. In the end, getting up and walking down the stairs normally is huge progress for me in my daily life, being able to live with the peace of not being in too much pain.”

“I just retired, three months ago, and changes take time. For me personally, I had respect for what the change would be, but I’m very happy in this new stage of my life. We’ll take it day by day, there are a lot of things to get used to and, in some ways, I have to discover what I’m really motivated to do in this new life. I’m confident it will also be exciting.”

Speaking with reporter Sergio Heredia from La Vanguardia, Rafa was asked whether he had picked up a racket since retiring and about his son, Rafa Junior.

“I haven’t picked up a racket again. I will at some point, but since that farewell in Málaga (November 20), I have only played a little with my son at home. I am just trying to organize myself outside of what has been sports. Without meaning to, I already have a lot of work commitments that I can’t avoid, but I need some time to decide what I want to do, beyond what I must do because it is inevitable.”

When asked if his son Rafa Junior plays tennis with his right or left hand, our champ responded with a smile. “He doesn’t play with either hand at the moment. He does what he can—sometimes he plays football, other times golf, other times tennis. He plays, he’s a child.”

Sources: ATP Tour, La Vanguardia