Why Rafael Nadal’s greatest win did not come at Roland Garros as his racket secrets are revealed

Kevin Palmer 20 Nov 2024 7:22 PM

Rafael Nadal in a Babolat Wimbledon advert

Rafael Nadal has wielded his famous Babolat tennis racket for the last time as a professional player as his retirement was confirmed after Spain crashed out of the Davis Cup in Malaga.

The kid from Manacor achieved more dreams than he could ever have imagined as he called time on a career that yielded 22 Grand Slam titles, 36 ATP Masters 1000 wins and 209 weeks as world No 1.

When the Nadal story is remembered, many will recall his remarkable achievements at Roland Garros, where he won a stunning 14 French Open titles and built a winning record that is undoubtedly one of the most remarkable in all of sport.

Yet in the opinion of Eric Babolat, who is CEO of the racket company that bears his family name and supplied Nadal with the weapons he needed to become an all-time sporting great, his finest hour came in his famous 2008 Wimbledon final against Roger Federer.

In the second part of our interview with Babolat, we look back on his favourite memories with Nadal and why that legendary win against his great rival as the light faded on Centre Court at the All England Club meant so much more.

What do you think was Nadal’s greatest moment?

I would have to say the famous 2008 Wimbledon final against Federer. I actually missed the end because I had a flight to catch from London and with rain coming in, we decided to go to Heathrow, the pilot said Nadal had won Wimbledon and we couldn’t believe it! He has won 14 Roland Garros and this is incredible, but winning Wimbledon the way he did the first time in 2008 was the pinnacle. The King of Spain was there, the way he won when it was nearly dark against Federer and everything about that moment was amazing. Everyone said there was no way he would win on grass and then he did it at Wimbledon and he beat Federer to do it. This, for me, was the most special moment.

Do you feel sad that Nadal’s amazing sporting story is now over?

“I don’t really feel it is sad because he has had a great career and no one thought it would be so long. It has been a nice journey and a nice career to celebrate. The influence of Rafa Nadal is not just in his performances, but the value of the human being and the respect he has from everybody. This is stronger than anything we all feel about him. He has said this is not all just about him. This is about winning and he wants what is best for the Spanish team. He says that if he is not performing he should not play. He is fighting for his team and his country.”

Did you ever give Nadal a racket he didn’t like?

“What impresses me as a champion is Rafa realised for him to improve, he might need to be less good for a moment. For a professional athlete, it’s difficult. You accept you have to be not so good for a moment and then it will get better after. He improved his serve, his backhand and when he made a change of racket, he accepted he was less good for a time. To improve, you need to change and that means coming out of your comfort zone until you find a way to get better.

More Rafael Nadal News

‘Tennis was cruel to Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray’, says US Open winner

The 5 men who have won 10+ ATP titles in a season: ft. Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer

Has he been easy to work with?

“Frankly speaking, he has been one of the easiest guys to work with. He was straightforward and never blamed the equipment if he had a defeat. He didn’t blame the ball, the weather or anything else. He accepted he was the problem sometimes and that meant we could work with him to help to make him better. It is so impressive to go year after year, every day on court and try to improve. I read something recently and they asked how he kept going. He said it was easy because I loved what I do and every day he went to the court and tried to improve. That is not easy to do for so long. You always look at what you can improve to get even better.”

Will Babolat and Nadal’s partnership come to an end now that his career is over?

“Not all all. This story will continue after his career has ended. It was continued through his Academy and we have projects planned together. We have been working together since he picked up a Babolat racket aged nine and we want this to continue when he finishes playing.”