Tim Henman makes feelings clear on Rafael Nadal’s retirement after farewell ceremony backlash
Tim Henman has shared his thoughts on the timing of Rafael Nadal’s retirement and addressed whether the great Spaniard received a good send-off at the Davis Cup Finals.
The former world No 4 believes Nadal chose the right time to step away as he expressed over the former world No 1’s ability to continue due to his body.
Nadal brought the curtain down on his incredible 23-year career after the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga last month.
The 38-year-old legend was beaten by Botic van de Zandschulp in his last-ever match as Spain lost to the Netherlands in the quarter-finals of the team event.
After Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers lost the decisive doubles match, Nadal gave an emotional speech, while Davis Cup captain David Ferrer also took the microphone to pay tribute to his compatriot.
Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Serena Williams teamed up to pay tribute to Nadal in a video played at the on-court ceremony.
Some fans felt the farewell was underwhelming — and several major figures from Nadal’s career were critical.
Nadal’s uncle and long-time former coach Toni Nadal claimed it “did not meet expectations”, while Ferrer branded it “a bit sad” and “watered down.”
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Carlos Moya, who coached Nadal from 2017 until his retirement, labelled the ceremony “scruffy and shabby” and proclaimed that the 22-time Grand Slam winner is “far above all this.”
In an interview with Eurosport, Henman argued Nadal’s send-off was fitting and also hailed the Spaniard for what he gave to tennis.
“Look, I think when you talk about retirement for any player, it’s really not straightforward to plan it,” the former British No 1 said.
“And with the injuries and all the different challenges that Rafa had and with the schedule, I think to be representing your country in Davis Cup in your home country is very special. So, I think it was a good send-off.
“And I hope Rafa felt comfortable with that. He’s just been an absolute icon of our sport. But for the Spanish people to get to see him one last time at home, I think was very, very special.
“From the outside looking in, I think it was the right time. He’s given so much to the sport. The sport takes so much out of him physically and mentally. And I just don’t know whether his body could take it any longer.
“So, I think it was a good time to step down and give Rafa the time to reflect on just the incredible achievements that he’s had in this sport.”
Ahead of his final event, Nadal conveyed his love for playing in the Davis Cup and representing his country.
“I mean, the feeling to play for your country, the feeling to play for your teammates, and if you have a good relationship with the team, something that happened I think 99% of the times of our careers, with David [Ferrer], with Carlos before, I mean Moya, and now with all this team, have been 20 years of playing this competition,” the Mallorcan said.
“So I went through a lot of different generations. The big success in our country is we always had a familiar relationship, no? And that helps to have the feeling that at the end when you win, everybody wins. When you lose, everybody loses, no?
“Everybody knows how much I love my country in general. I haven’t been able to move from the country ever, so I enjoy living here. And play my last event in Spain, it’s something that I am very happy with, no?”
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