Rafael Nadal says his body is telling him to quit tennis in emotional farewell speech
Rafael Nadal’s remarkable Madrid Open run has come to an end, with tears flowing in a sell-out crowd as the Spanish icon was given a send-off befitting a king in front of his home fans.
Nadal’s run to the fourth round at the Madrid Open gave the Spanish audience one last chance to celebrate a champion who has transcended his sport for two decades, but he conceded ‘it’s time to stop’ after he was beaten 7-5 6-4 by an impressive Jiri Lehecka.
With his wife Maria and his sister Maribel in tears and so many in the crowd joining them in losing control of their emotions, a touching ceremony was made to thank Nadal for all he has done for tennis in Spain and around the world.
Led by Madrid Open tournament director and former Spanish Davis Cup star Feliciano Lopez, Nadal was presented with an impressive trophy as banners were unfurled celebrating his greatest moments in the tournament.
Nadal also made a lengthy speech on court, as he thanked the fans and made some telling confessions that suggest he may now be close to ending his career for good.
“This is one of those times where when it arrives, it’s very difficult,” admitted Nadal, who was holding back his own tears.
“I can thank everyone who helped me in my career. It’s a gift what you have given me here, the memories on this court are amazing.
“I have been fortunate in my life to turn my passion into my job. I am privileged.
“I am lucky that as a kid I got to do the job I love. I am lucky to have lived the way I have lived and I cannot ask for any more. I hope to have been an example for new generations.
“I can only say thank you, there is nothing else. It is a difficult day, but my body is giving me signal that I should stop. Finishing here has given me so much pleasure. My dream was to finish here on court.”
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They were words that may spark some debate over whether Nadal will continue to push for a final appearance at the French Open next month and then continue his career to the Olympic Games that will be held on the same Roland Garros courts as the next major of the tennis year.
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After all, this is the kind of send-off this legend admitted he wanted and now that box has been well and truly ticked.
Nadal has made it clear for several months that his desire was to end is career on his own terms on a tennis court and not to bow out at a press conference.
Well, the scenes that drained the emotions of tennis fans around the world in Madrid were a fitting send off for a player who has helped to take the sport we all love to new heights over the course of his career.
Nadal will not be etched into the record books as the greatest tennis player of all-time statistically, but the impact he has made on millions of youngsters ensured we have hundreds of thousands of people playing the sport that may not have done so if they were not inspired by the great Nadal.
His record of winning 14 French Open titles is one of the most remarkable achievements in any sport, as he revised the notion that a single player could win more than ten time at one Grand Slam tournament thanks to his dominance on clay courts.
Finding a way to bow out is always tough, especially when you have scaled the heights Nadal has reached time and again since he won his first French Open title in 2005.
Now Spain has bid farewell to its greatest tennis player of all-time and arguably its finest sportsman.
If this send-off in Madrid is Nadal’s final act in tennis, it was as memorable as the career he has painted with such brilliance for so long.
