Málaga
Veteran Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal, who retired from professional tennis after the Davis Cup tie against the Netherlands on his home ground, said he is extremely fortunate to have turned his hobby into a wonderful career. 22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal’s professional tennis journey ended late on Tuesday night with a straight sets defeat to Botic van de Zandschulp 6-4, 6-4 in the opening match of Spain’s quarter-final match against the Netherlands in the Davis Cup. Went.
Young sensation Carlos Alcaraz then leveled the scoreline with a 7-6(0), 6-3 win against Talon Greekspur. But later, Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers lost 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3) in the doubles decider and the Netherlands advanced to the next round. “I am the person who should be grateful to so many people,” Nadal said after the match, as quoted by the ATP’s official website. It’s hard to know where to start. Nadal thanked the fans for their extraordinary support. “In Spain and the world in general, I feel very fortunate to have so much affection,” he said.
Congratulating his opponents as well as his teammates, Nadal said, I want to thank the entire Spanish team present here. You all gave me a chance to play in this Davis Cup. It didn’t go the way we wanted, I gave it my all. Many of the most emotional moments of my career have been with so many of the people present here, it has been a huge honor. Together we have achieved many wonderful things and now it is time for you all to keep achieving them.
Nadal said that a player does not want this moment of retirement to come, but his body does not want to play tennis anymore. He said, you have to accept the situation, I feel very lucky. I’ve been able to turn one of my hobbies into my career, and it’s been much longer than I ever imagined. I can only be grateful to life.
He thanked the press, tennis organizations and the fraternity for their support that has helped him move forward and also had a special message for his family and team present in the stands. He said with tears in his eyes, I am calm because I have got such education, through which I can live my new life with peace of mind. I have a good family around me who supports me.
After losing to Botic, Nadal also said that it was an emotional day for him. He said, I knew that this could be my last match as a professional tennis player. The moments before that were emotional, in general they were a bit difficult to handle. There were a lot of emotions. I tried to do it as best I could. I tried to keep the best attitude I could, with the necessary energy, no matter the outcome. In the end a ray of hope appeared, but it did not happen. My opponent was better than me today and that’s the point.
Nadal, who has not played competitive tennis since the second round of the Paris Olympics after losing to Novak Djokovic in July, has been practicing on the court since then and felt able to play for his captain David Ferrer.
He said, it was decided that I will play. We knew it was a bit of a risky decision. David had watched us all practice and we all felt I was the right player for the match. I tried, but couldn’t, in the end, you can’t control your level, only your attitude, your energy and your determination. I was not disappointed by this. I just couldn’t do what was needed to get Spain a point.
Nadal departed the game with 22 Grand Slam titles, including a record 14 French Open singles titles. He also won the Australian Open twice in 2009 and 2022, Wimbledon in 2008 and 2010. He was also successful at the US Open, winning the title four times in 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2019.
The 38-year-old has captured 92 Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tour-level titles, including 36 ATP Masters Championship trophies. He also captured an Olympic gold medal in men’s doubles at the 2016 Rio Olympics, making him one of three male stars, besides Novak Djokovic and Andre Agassi, to complete a career Golden Slam by winning Olympic gold and all major Grand Slam titles.
