A few weeks ago, the renowned tennis player Rafael Nadal announced through his social networks his retirement from tennis after playing in the ‘Final 8’ of the Davis Cup.
“Everything in life has a beginning and an end and I think it is the right time to put an end to a long and much more successful career than I could have ever imagined,” said an emotional Nadal in a video alongside the message. “Thank you all” written in a dozen languages.
Winner of 92 ATP titles, including 22 Grand Slams, Nadal closed his career in the ‘Final 8’ of the Davis Cup that was held in Malaga, in the south of Spain, from November 19 to 24.
After his retirement, Toni Nadal, Rafa Nadal’s uncle and former coach, gave his opinion on the famous tennis player’s retirement and his performance throughout his career.
“A few months ago Rafael told me that he was planning to retire. I wanted to do it in Malaga during the Davis Cup. Evidently it was a topic that was more or less assumed. We knew that sooner or later this decision had to come. A few months ago I found out because Rafael came to tell me,” he said.
‘Uncle Toni’, as he was known, highlighted the tennis player’s talent and his optimism to reach the top in tennis, but always being correct and in a sporting manner.
“I feel very happy with everything he has achieved, on the court obviously for everything he has won, but, above all, the most notable thing and what, as a family member, satisfies me a lot, is seeing how a boy who had the dream of becoming a great tennis player, he did everything possible without ever losing his way. Without ceasing to have our feet on the ground,” he stressed.
Nadal’s entire career has been marked not only by successes, but also by injuries, especially in recent years, in which he has barely been able to compete.
“Of course I have seen him suffer. But I got so used to seeing him suffer on many occasions throughout his career. On many occasions he had complicated injuries, which were going to diminish him or even prevent him from enjoying continuing playing. Since I got used to that, I wasn’t surprised to see him suffer a little at the end. The truth is that, even seeing him suffer, I think Rafael cannot complain because life has treated him very well,” he stated.
In addition, he assured that his nephew is ready to face new challenges. “I think my nephew will face the day after with complete normality. He always knew that every sporting beginning has an end. There are no sports careers that last 100 years. I think that in recent months he has been assimilating this process,” he concluded.
After the tennis player’s retirement, several athletes have spoken out, such as footballers Cristiano Ronaldo, Andrés Iniesta and Kylian Mbappé, and also his greatest rival in professional tennis in the early 2000s, the Swiss Roger Federer.
His historic rival, the Swiss Roger Federer, decided to pay him a moving tribute with an extensive and emotional letter in which he made more than one person feel emotional on social networks.
Federer began the long letter addressed to his eternal rival by saying: “As I prepare to graduate from tennis, I have a few things to share before I get excited.”
“Let’s start with the obvious: you beat me a lot, more than I could beat you. You challenged me in ways no one else could. On clay, I felt like I was walking into your backyard, and you made me work harder than I ever thought I could just to hold on. “You made me reinvent my game, even going so far as to change the size of my racket head, hoping to gain some advantage,” he added.
“I’m not a very superstitious person, but you took it to the next level. Your entire process. All those rituals. Gather your water bottles together like they were toy soldiers in formation, fix your hair, adjust your underwear. All this with maximum intensity. Secretly, I loved the whole thing. Because it was so unique, so you. And you know what, Rafa, you have made me enjoy the game even more,” he said.
Federer said that, after the 2004 Australian Open, when he managed to reach number one in the ATP rankings for the first time, he thought he was on top of the world, until Nadal arrived.
“You walked onto the Miami court in your red sleeveless shirt, showing off those biceps, and you beat me convincingly. “All that rumor I had been hearing about you, about this incredible young player from Mallorca, a generational talent, who would probably win a major one day, was not just publicity,” he said.
