Rafael Nadal: Ticket prices for his farewell are exploding

Rafael Nadal announced his retirement from top tennis with a video message last week. The response was huge beyond the tennis world. In addition to legends like Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, soccer stars like Cristiano Ronaldo also spoke up.

But the Spaniard hasn’t hung up his racket yet; he’ll be on the court one last time in the Davis Cup. To watch the 22-time Grand Slam winner in action again, you have to dig deep into your pockets. The Davis Cup game against the Netherlands was quickly sold out. Ticket prices are skyrocketing on the gray market.

For the duel in the quarter-finals on November 19th, the prices on the resale platform Viagogo for the cheapest tickets are just under 1,900 francs. And the most expensive? For this you have to put around 132,000 francs on the table. It’s not even certain whether it will be Nadal’s last game.

Because the Mallorcan left it open whether he would play in any semi-finals and finals. If the Spaniards make it to the final, Nadal will have his sixth personal triumph in the Davis Cup. In this way he would not only delay his farewell until November 24th, but also refine it. But then, one way or another, it’s finally over.

The 38-year-old already announced his departure in the spring. “My life and body have been sending me signals for a long time,” Nadal said at the time. In his resignation video he said: “The reality is that the last two years have been very difficult. I don’t think I was able to play without restrictions.”

In his career he won 22 Grand Slams, including the French Open 14 times. He was at the top of the world rankings for 209 weeks and earned more than 130 million francs in prize money. It is not yet clear whether Federer will be there when Nadal says goodbye. The Mallorcan played at his side in doubles at the 2022 Laver Cup when Federer said goodbye. Djokovic, on the other hand, announced his presence for Nadal’s “Adios”.