"It's tough, but I'm not the only one who has parents divorcing in my life" - When Rafael Nadal opened up about the impact of his parents' separation

Rafael Nadal once opened about the profound impact his parents' separation had on him.

In his memoir 'Rafa: My Story,' Nadal recounted the moment he discovered his parents were separating during a trip from Melbourne to Dubai in 2009, shortly after he clinched his maiden Australian Open title. The Spaniard's father broke the news to him, leaving him completely "stunned."

Nadal revealed that the shocking revelation caused him to not speak to his father for the remainder of the trip. He also spoke about the significant impact of this news, describing it as the collapse of a foundational pillar in his life.

"My parents were the pillar of my life and that pillar had crumbled. The continuity I so valued in my life had been cut in half, and the emotional order I depend on had been dealt a shocking blow," he wrote in his memoir.

With his memoir being published in 2011, Nadal addressed questions about his feelings regarding his parents' separation during a press conference at the US Open that year. The Spaniard shed light on his decision to open up about this personal aspect in his book despite generally prioritizing his personality.

"You know, what happened there was -- but in the book -- I never talk about my personal things in the press, but, you know, all the changes in your life needs a little bit of time. That's what happened," he said.

The Spaniard shared that although he eventually came to terms with the situation, the initial impact was very challenging to cope with, especially given the emphasis on family in his hometown of Mallorca. However, Nadal also pointed out that he wasn't alone in experiencing parental divorce and asserted that the entire ordeal was in the past.

"So after a little bit of time I was perfect, but, you know, at the beginning it's tough. But, you know, I am not the only one who has the parents divorcing in one moment of my life," he said.

"Only thing is that Mallorca the family is very important, you are very close of the people that your friends, your family. So any change in this part, these people close to you, affects you, no? That's happened. That's past," Nadal added.

While Nadal also disclosed that he was aware of the problems that caused his parents' separation, he expressed his reluctance to delve into those details.

"I know the problems, but anyway, I gonna repeat you, I don't want to talk about that now," he said.

Looking back at Rafael Nadal's campaign at the 2011 US Open

2011 US Open - Day 15

Rafael Nadal entered the 2011 US Open as the second seed and defending champion. The Spaniard had defeated Novak Djokovic 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 in the 2010 final to clinch his maiden title at the New York Major.

Nadal kicked off his title defense with a 6-3, 7-6(1), 7-5 win over Andrey Golubev. He progressed to the fourth round with victories against Nicolas Mahut and David Nalbandian. He then defeated Gilles Muller 7-6(1), 6-1, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals.

Subsequently, the Spaniard claimed a dominant 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 win over Andy Roddick. He beat Andy Murray 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 in the semifinals to set up a blockbuster title clash against top seed Novak Djokovic.

Djokovic ended Rafael Nadal's bid for a second consecutive title in New York, defeating the Spaniard 6-2, 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-1 in the final to clinch his maiden US Open title.