Rafael Nadal’s farewell ceremony ‘did not meet expectations’
Toni Nadal admits he was a little disappointed with Rafael Nadal’s farewell ceremony at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, saying he “would have preferred something different”.
The curtain came down on Nadal’s illustrious career on Tuesday after Spain lost their quarter-final tie against the Netherlands at the Martin Carpena Arena.
After Carlos Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers lost their doubles match against Wesley Koolhof and Botic van de Zandschulp, the lights at the arena were dimmed and the emotional ceremony got underway.
Nadal was handed the microphone and he was asked a few questions before the tennis great paid tribute to those who played an important role throughout his career, including his parents, wife, coaches, colleagues and friends.
He was gifted a framed photo and Spain’s Davis Cup captain David Ferrer also had some words of encouragement for the 22-time Grand Slam winner.
On the big screen, there was footage of his career as well as a video from the likes of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Serena Williams saying their goodbyes.
Federer, Djokovic and Murray were expected to attend the ceremony, but they were only due to arrive on Friday as organisers initially planned to hold the ceremony after the semi-finals.
But Spain’s defeat meant they had to bring it forward.
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After a few more questions and answers from the great, that was that as Nadal bowed out of tennis.
Nadal’s uncle Toni – who coached him from a young age until 2017 – was unable to attend the match and the ceremony as he was away in Rome and he was asked if the farewell “met his expectations” during an interview with El Larguero on SER radio and replied: “No (laughs). It was certainly emotional with the public’s support.
“I like to see images in these events, I would have liked to see images of Rafael winning the Davis Cup in Seville, of Rafael at the Madrid tournament, at Roland Garros or Wimbledon, because this creates more emotion.
“I’m not trying to criticise anyone. I would have preferred something different, more in line with his career. I appreciate the gesture they had as a family member and former coach of Rafael, and the good intentions, but afterwards, I would have liked something else.
“Nowadays, much more emotional events can be organised by mixing music with images, and Rafael is a person whose images convey passion and emotion. If they had done this, it would have been more fitting.”
