Nadal: I want to be remembered as a good person and a child who followed his dreams

Legendary Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal officially ended his professional career after the defeat of the national team Spain from Netherlands (1:2) in the quarter finals Davis Cup 2024.

“The titles and statistics are there, so people probably know about it, but I would like to be remembered as a good man from a small village in Mallorca, where I was lucky enough to have an uncle as a tennis coach.”

“I had a wonderful family that supported me at every moment. I was a kid who followed my dreams, worked my butt off to get where I am today. At the end of the day, a lot of people try their hardest every day, but I’m very lucky that my life has evolved through tennis.”

Let us remember that 38-year-old Nadal announced in early October that he would retire at the end of the season, immediately after his performance at the Davis Cup. Spain lost to the Netherlands at the very first stage, and Rafael lost his match in two sets to Botik van de Zandshulp.

Nadal’s professional career on Tour started in 2001. He topped the ATP world rankings for 209 weeks. In total, he won 22 victories at Grand Slam tournaments, including 14 at Roland Garros (an all-time record), and the Spaniard won each of the four majors at least twice. Rafael is also a two-time Olympic champion: Beijing 2008 – in singles, Rio 2016 – in doubles.

Let us remind you that the Spaniard missed almost a year due to injury, returning to tennis only in January 2024. In ten months, Rafael played only 20 official matches, in which he scored 12 victories. At the same time, at the Australian Open, Nadal was eliminated in the second round, at Roland Garros 2024 he was immediately eliminated by Zverev, and he missed two more majors – Wimbledon and the US Open. At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Rafa reached the second round, where Novak Djokovic crossed his path once again.