The whole world has celebrated Rafael Nadal in the last few hours, after the Spanish legend announced his imminent retirement. Former world number 1 will finish his career at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga in November. The 22-time Grand Slam champion took some time to make this sad and painful decision, but he realized that it was the right time to start his second life after giving everything to the sport.
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2024 did not give Rafa the satisfaction he hoped for, even on his beloved red clay, where he wrote several times the history of tennis and modern sport. The 14-time French Open champion has suffered a lot of injuries over the last two years and the last part of his career was reminiscent of that of his eternal rival Roger Federer.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion had greeted fans at the Laver Cup at the O2 Arena in London, playing his last match right next to Nadal in doubles. Rafa - on the other hand - will try to help his Spain win the Davis Cup again and could play the singlesif he is in good condition. Today, it is more likely that David Ferrer will decide to team him in doubles with Carlos Alcaraz.
The Spanish ace has not played an official match since the Paris Olympics this summer and it seems far from the level of top players at the moment. Rafa will be one of the protagonists of the 'Six Kings Slam' in Saudi Arabia in mid-October, where he will make his direct semi-final debut against the winner of the match between Carlitos Alcaraz and Holger Rune.
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Almagropaystribute toRafa
During a long interview with MARCA, former Spanish ace Nicolas Almagro paid tribute to Rafa and emphasized his incredible aura at the French Open: It was like going to the slaughterhouse or coming back in his garden with the will to steal his fruits. It wasnt an unpleasant feeling, because youre in the biggest tournament that a clay-loving athlete can play, but if you go in with few options at the beginning of the game, you realize you dont have any.
It is something that those of us who played against him will remember, remember and tell our children and grandchildren. He forged a legend by force of work, sacrifice and values. It is something that should be taught in schools. Thats why it was so hard to beat him when we were playing against him.
Rafa has won the French Open 14 times and was clearly the best player ever on red clay. Denying many experts, Nadal had the ability to improve greatly on other surfaces too, demonstrating a versatility that very few expected at the beginning of his career. The former world number 1 has created epic rivalries with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, who have created opposing factions among fans and allowed tennis to flood its borders.
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During a press conference in Shanghai, current World No.1 Jannik Sinner reflected on the influence of the Big 3: No, I mean, what they have done in the last years has been amazing. There are not so many things to say about pressure, the pressure is always going to be there.
But, you know, talking from my side, I think about myself, what I have to do on the court, what I have to improve, and that hopefully makes it better as a player, and also a consistent player. They have been very consistent throughout the years and years and years. Theres not only been one season or two seasons, they made it for 15 years.
So, its amazing what they have achieved, what they have done. There are a lot of things what we can take from them. We cannot compare us with them, you know, thats impossible, especially in this moment now. I think we all were very lucky to see the Big Three, you know, playing tennis. And I consider myself very lucky to get to know them also as person and, you know, to learning from them, and, yeah, I think thats it.
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Many insiders say that Alcaraz and Sinner are set to do great things in the next 10 or 15 years. Their matches have given fans a show over the last few years and in 2024 they split the four Grand Slam titles equally. A new era has officially begun, even though the 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic is still active and aims to raise more trophies. For the first time since 2017 and for the second time since 2011, the Serbian ace has not won a single Grand Slam title.
