"I miss it, but you have to deal with it": Rafael Nadal reflects on lost season and reveals what he has missed most

Spain’s legendary tennis star Rafael Nadal has revealed that he is missing being competitive on the tennis court as well as on the golf court.

The 37-year-old is currently spending time on the sidelines as he continues to recover from a hip injury.

It is for this reason that Nadal has not played in any major tournament since the Australian Open earlier this year.

The former world number one was recently quoted in a report where he stated his frustration about not being able to play at the highest level for a while.

"Competition! Ultimately I am a competitive person, but not just in tennis, it cost me not being able to play golf which after all is a way to compete, it cost me not being able to compete in other areas,” he said.

"In tennis, I missed being on the circuit, being able to compete, feeling like a player, going out on the best courts with a full stadium; of course, I miss it, but you have to deal with it.

"I have a theory... you might miss it when you feel like you can be there, right? But when you feel like you can't play, because physically you can't, you can't miss it. I tried to be happy with what I had."

Nadal is often regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men’s singles tennis player in the Open era, having won 22 Grand Slam titles.