Last Thursday, October 10, Rafael Nadal announced that he is officially retiring from professional tennis.
Afterwards, The Spaniard participated in the Six Kings Slam exhibition tournament in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.
Over there, ‘Rafa’ received a very special gift in recognition of his extraordinary career.
The organizers of the event gave Nadal a Gold plated life size racket.
According to experts, The gift given by Turki Al Sheikh, advisor to the Royal Court of Saudi Arabia and promoter of the tournament, has a value of 250,000 euros.
Rafael Nadal will say goodbye to the sport of racket in the Final 8 of the Davis Cup to be held in Malaga, from November 19 to 24.
“The reality is that the last two years have been difficult and I have not been able to play without limitations. It is a difficult decision, which has taken me time but in this life everything has a beginning and an end,” said the native of Manacor. .
“I think it is the right time to put an end to what has been a long career and much more successful than I could have ever imagined,” he added.
With 92 titles behind him, 22 of them in Grand Slam championships, and two Olympic medals, one singles and one in doubles, the 38-year-old tennis player put an end to a successful career of more than two decades.
His career was full of success and he leaves an invaluable legacy for tennis, a sport in which he has his seat assured as one of the best in history.