Former world No 1 admits ‘goosebumps’ at ‘deserved’ Rafael Nadal reception in Madrid

Rafael Nadal “deserved” the raucous and emotional farewell he received from the Madrid Open crowd, according to former world No 1 Andy Roddick – who admitted getting “goosebumps” watching on.
Nadal’s Madrid campaign ended with a round-four loss to Jiri Lehecka on Tuesday, in what could well have been his final match on home soil.
Unsurprisingly, the 22-time Grand Slam champion and former world No 1 received incredible support from packed stands inside the Caja Magica throughout his run, which included an impressive win over Alex de Minaur in his second match.
Nadal was celebrated in a special on-court presentation after his loss to Lehecka, and former US Open winner Roddick believes that the Spaniard was celebrated appropriately.
He said: “As far as the fans, I was getting goosebumps. He walks out and he was doing his thing with his bottles and his bag, all of his particulars, and the crowd is just ready: ‘Rafa, Rafa, Rafa.’
“I am 1000% confident he felt appreciated this week, and it was effusive. It was well-deserved, it was a celebration of what he’s done. The ceremony afterwards was great – that’s expected. The reaction was perfect.
“I think the preparation for Rafa versus what his body can handle was a 10/10. I thought the crowd and the note they hit with cheering for him while also being respectful of the other players was a 10/10.”
It was just incredible to see Rafa get the celebration he deserves in Madrid pic.twitter.com/Dsj1qhnQIH
— Served with Andy Roddick (@Served_Podcast) May 4, 2024
Nadal’s run in the tournament was longer than most would have predicted pre-tournament, with his showing hugely encouraging ahead of a potential goodbye to the French Open later this month.
His physical condition has been under scrutiny in every match he has played this clay season so far, though there is now optimism he will now play at the Italian Open and Roland Garros.
And Roddick claimed that he became less worried about Nadal’s fitness as the tournament went on.
He added: “I think that his body pulled up and we didn’t see what we’ve seen too often over the last two years when he runs and kind of pulls up and you can tell something’s wrong.
“I forgot to look for injuries after a certain point this week with Rafa – it was just watching him play tennis.”
The Spaniard is currently in Rome ahead of the Italian Open, which starts next Tuesday.