Andy Roddick praised Rafael Nadal as “an absolute gentleman” and added he would be thrilled and proud if he ever saw his kids trying to copy the Spanish tennis icon in anything.
Since the start until the end of his career, the 38-year-old remained the same as his colleagues and fans spoke about him the same way for 20 years. From very early in his career, the Spaniard got himself a reputation of being the biggest competitor and fighter out there. And his style of play brought him major success and ultimately led to him finishing with 22 Grand Slam titles.
For someone in this position, one could assume that Nadal would be cocky and arrogant. But he was the complete opposite of that as he was often described as the kindest and most respectful person toward anyone he met.
And because of that, the Spaniard went down as one of the greatest players ever but also as one of the biggest ambassadors and likable players ever.
Roddick, who has nine-year-old son Hank and seven-year-old daughter Stevie, would have nothing against his kids had a Nadal-like personality.
“An absolute gentleman. If my kids ever try to imitate anything that Rafael Nadal did, I would be beaming with pride. The way he went about it, the way he treated people, the way he had time for everyone. In his bad mood, he will still look you in the eye and say, ‘Hello!’ and that’s before we even get to what he did on court. The way he fought, the way he went about his business, the way he completely transformed tennis with his ability to create spin and power and speed and all the sudden you put all of the things together,” the American tennis legend said on the Served with Andy Roddick.
Nadal had a low-key farewell and kept it as humble as possible
After the record 14-time French Open champion announced he picked the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga as the place where he wanted to retire, there was hope Spain could go all the way and send out the 38-year-old with one last title.
On the day of the Spain and Netherlands quarterfinal tie, it was confirmed that Nadal would play singles. To the disappointment of the locals but also the majority of fans, the former world No. 1 looked far from his best and got routed by Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets.
After the Netherlands completed a 2-1 victory over Spain, the 38-year-old received a specail ceremony but nothing too fancy. And after taking the microphone, Nadal humbly described himself as a small village kid who achieved his dreams.
“The title, the numbers are there, so the people probably know that. I would like to be remembered as a good person from a small village in Majorca. I had the luck. My uncle was a tennis coach in my village when I was a small kid, and I had a great family that supported me in every single moment. Just a kid who followed their dream and worked as hard as possible to be what I am today,” a teary Nadal said.
“At the end of the day, a lot of people work hard and try their best every single day, but I’m one of the very lucky ones that life gave me an opportunity to live an unforgettable experience due to tennis. So, I just want to be remembered as a good person, a kid who followed their dreams and achieved more than they dreamed.”
Rafael Nadal© Tenis Espana/Instagram – Fair Use
Roddick: Nadal made Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic better
When the Spaniard introduced himself in a big way in 2005, Federer was regarded as the best and most dominant player on the Tour. Then, Djokovic also came and that’s how the Big Three happened and their stunning total of 66 Grand Slam titles.
Roddick, who lost four Grand Slam finals to Federer, thinks the Swiss and the Serb would not be what they became if not for Nadal and vice versa.
“These guys, the reason they were so great is because they would look across the net and see parts of themselves across the net and know that they had to get better. Rafa was a massive part about that. He created a hell of an impossible puzzle for a long time and did it in simply a decent way all the time,” the 2003 US Open champion explained.
Before the start of the Davis Cup Finals, Nadal highlighted that he was at peace with his retirement decision because he gave it all and his body simply couldn’t do it anymore. Now, the 38-year-old will probably focus more on his family but remain connected with tennis through his academy.
Tennis World USA