How to forget it? And how can we not bow to him? Rafael Nadal, 38 years old and 22 Grand Slam tournaments, played the last match of his career on November 19, 2024, against the Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp, in the Davis Cup. The clap at the end of a monumental career closely linked to the French public, which saw him win the Roland-Garros tournament fourteen times.
Thus, in the latest Odoxa survey for Winamax and RTL, the French were asked about the image they will keep of the man called “the bull of Manacor”. And the answers are unanimous: 85% of the 1005 people questioned indicate that they have a good opinion of the Spaniard. A score similar to those collected by Antoine Griezmann, Teddy Riner, Tony Parker and Zinédine Zidane.
And the adjectives are raining down. Rafael Nadal is considered combative (by 89% of respondents), spectacular (82%), elegant (68%) in terms of play. However, he is considered physically fragile by half of tennis fans.
But Nadal’s image doesn’t stop at the tennis courts. On a human level, Nadal also receives praise from the French public, who consider him friendly (80%) and close to the public (78%). Further proof of the French’s love for “Rafa”, the legend is named as the best player in history by the French.
From short Chatrier to short Nadal?
The Spaniard is the most mentioned player (26%), ahead of the two other giants in the Top 3, Roger Federer (21%) and Novak Djokovic (18%). Among tennis fans, who represent 370 people in the panel, Nadal is also the most mentioned (28%), ahead of the same duo (25% for Federer and 20% for Djokovic).
Between 2005 and 2022, Rafael Nadal won no less than 14 Roland-Garros tournaments, enough to make him the undisputed legend of the Parisian tournament. On this subject, 65% of tennis fans believe that this record will never be broken while 47% say they are in favor of the central court being renamed in his honor.
Finally, proof of the immense page of sport which has just turned, 57% of tennis fans already say they are saddened by Nadal’s retirement, while a third of them say that this news will reduce their interest in tennis. . Unless Novak Djokovic, who recently announced that he would now be coached by Andy Murray, comes to rekindle this interest?
