The legendary Rafael Nadal said goodbye to tennis as one of the most admired players in history after two decades of a successful career in which he won 22 Grand Slam titles and, above all, the affection of the fans and his peers on the circuit.
After falling on Tuesday 6-4, 6-4 to Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp, and the doubles defeat of Carlos Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3) against Wesley Koolhof and Van de Zandschulp, Spain‘s elimination at the hands of the Netherlands in the Davis Cup was confirmed, and with it, the sad retirement of Rafa Nadal.
During his career, Nadal received expressions of admiration that recognized his talent and dedication in each game, and after his official retirement the farewell messages increased. One of the most emotional was the letter from Roger Federer, but other figures have joined in, one of them is the American tennis player Coco Gauff, who joined the farewell on her X account, with short but forceful posts, first with an emoji of a face with a tear in a tweet of the Spanish anthem on the Davis Cup account, then she finished with: “Today I am from Spain.”
Already before, when Nadal announced his retirement, Gauff had dedicated a longer message of admiration: “Honestly, he’s my favorite person to watch in training. The intensity he showed on the practice court and obviously in matches is something I felt watching is unparalleled. Watching the video got me a little emotional because Rafa is everything I’ve known throughout my childhood. I’m pretty sure he won Roland Garros for most of my life.”
Roger Federer’s emotional farewell letter to Rafa Nadal
In Rafa Nadal’s career, there was a rivalry with Roger Federer that turned into mutual admiration and even friendship over the years, and the Swiss could not miss the opportunity to pay tribute to the Spaniard with an emotional farewell letter, in which he thanked him for the moments shared on the courts.
“You beat me… a lot. More than I managed to beat you,” the Swiss begins in the text in which he recognises that on clay, Nadal was almost unbeatable: “I felt like I was entering your inner courtyard.”
In the letter, Federer shows his admiration for a rival who also made him better: “You made me work harder than I ever thought I could just to keep up. You made me reimagine my game.”
The long message to Nadal that Federer posted on his social networks also gives him credit for making him enjoy himself more on the court: “You made me enjoy the game even more,” although he did not fail to remind him of the moments when he made him suffer, such as the game in Miami in 2004: “With your sleeveless red shirt, showing those biceps, and you beat me convincingly.”
Another tennis legend, Serena Williams, left a message in Federer’s letter: “Well said”, and then went on to say on her X account about her feelings: “Why do I get so emotional about Rafael Nadal’s retirement? I’m not good at goodbyes.”
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