Rafael Nadal at his last appearance in Malaga. © APA/afp / THOMAS COEX

Nadal: “Wants to be remembered as a good person”

Rafael Nadal has won practically everything in his impressive career: 22 Grand Slam titles, 14 French Opens alone, gold at the Olympics. But when the end of his tennis career suddenly became clear in Malaga, he did not want to be measured by titles and trophies.

20 November 2024

From: cst/dpa

"The way I want to be remembered is as a good person from a small village in Mallorca," Nadal said after the Spanish team was eliminated from the Davis Cup finals.

A clear two-set defeat against Botic van de Zandschulp Nadal himself had initiated the surprising 1:2 defeat against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals. As a cheering spectator in the stands, he finally witnessed how his time as an active player came to an end with the defeat of the Spanish doubles shortly after midnight, through no fault of his own.

Organizers also surprised

An end that the organizers were obviously not really prepared for that evening. It took a while before the farewell ceremony for one of the greatest athletes in the world began. In a long speech, Nadal thanked his family and many companions. His wife Maria and his two-year-old son Rafael listened to the words, moved, in the stands.

"I was a kid who pursued my dream and achieved more than I ever dreamed possible." Rafael Nadal

For a long time, Nadal was able to hold back his tears during the initially surprisingly emotionless ceremony. But when messages from old rivals such as Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic and Spanish football stars such as Andrés Iniesta and Raúl were shown on the video cube, the tears flowed.

"A lot of people work hard. A lot of people try their best every single day. I was very lucky. I was a kid who followed his dream and achieved more than I ever dreamed of," said Nadal, and was cheered one last time by his fans.

Last drudgery is not rewarded

In recent weeks, the 38-year-old had once again tried everything at his academy in Mallorca to get himself in shape for the final act of his career. But the physical strain of a 22-year career could no longer be concealed in his last game.

The last Davis Cup appearance resulted in a defeat. © ANSA / JORGE ZAPATA

Since his last Grand Slam title at the 2022 French Open, Nadal has only been able to play sporadically. He was repeatedly stopped by injuries. His last official match was against Serbian Novak Djokovic at the Olympic Games in Paris at the end of July. He was supposed to play a few more matches in Malaga. But nothing came of it.