‘It hurts’ – Rafael Nadal shares emotional message after his Barcelona Open defeat
Rafael Nadal declared “everything has a beginning and an end” in an emotional message after his loss to Alex de Minaur at the 2024 Barcelona Open.
The legendary Spaniard admitted his farewell “hurts” and said he “would have liked to fight for the title one more time”, while expressing his gratitude for what the “special” tournament has given him.
Nadal was defeated 7-5, 6-1 by de Minaur, the world No 11, in the second round of the Barcelona Open on Wednesday in what was almost certainly his last match at the tournament.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion received a rapturous ovation as he left the court named after him at the ATP 500 event he has won a record 12 times.
Following the match, the 37-year-old divulged he does not expect to play in Barcelona again and conveyed the importance of the tournament to him.
“I am an emotionally stable person, I take everything philosophically, analysing things correctly,” said the Mallorcan in his post-match press conference.
READ MORE: Every word from Rafael Nadal’s press conference after his Barcelona Open farewell
“The normal thing is that it was my last game at Godó (the Barcelona Open), you all know how important this tournament has been for my career. This has been the tournament par excellence that we have had in Spain for a long time.
“The best players in history have passed through here and I have always respected that history. On top of that, it is played in a tennis club, which is why this tournament is different from the vast majority.
“I have really enjoyed playing here, I have lived very nice moments, I have managed to win 12 times, something unimaginable for me.”
In a post shared on his Instagram account after the match, Nadal paid tribute to Barcelona once again as he reflected on his farewell.
“I played and was happy doing it on a court and special tournament, classic and traditional tournament of our circuit. A place, a club, that saw me grow as a player and where I had so many joys,” wrote the former world No 1.
“Everything has a beginning and an end and I would have liked to fight for the title one more time. It hurts, but it’s been nice to play here always, today too. Thank you very much for everything Barcelona. Thank you very much!”
Nadal, who has revealed 2024 will likely be his final year in tennis, next intends to play at the Madrid Open, which gets underway on April 23. He then hopes to compete at the Italian Open in Rome, before a highly-anticipated potential final appearance at the French Open.
The 14-time Roland Garros winner cruised to a 6-2, 6-3 victory against Flavio Cobolli in the opening round in Barcelona on Tuesday in his first match since January.
The 37-year-old had not competed since his quarter-final defeat to Jordan Thompson in Brisbane in January, having been forced to withdraw from four tournaments since then due to injury problems. Nadal made his comeback in Brisbane after almost a year out with a serious hip injury.
READ MORE: Rafael Nadal makes statement about ‘dying’ at the French Open after Barcelona farewell
