Rafael Nadal sent out a pretty emotional and deep message in his retirement speech as the Spaniard acknowledged that he accomplished a lot during his career but that he would prefer more to be “remembered as a good person.”
On Tuesday, the 22-time Grand Slam champion saw his career come to an end at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.
After Nadal lost to Botic van de Zandschulp in the opening rubber, Carlos Alcaraz beat Tallon Griekspoor to force a decider. But unfortunately for the host nation, they didn’t manage to complete their comeback after the world No. 3 and Marcel Granollers lost to van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof in the key doubles match.
Nadal: I was a small village kid who had dreams…
Following Spain’s heartbreaking loss, a special ceremony was held to pay tribute to one of their greatest athletes ever. While delivering his retirement speech, the 38-year-old became emotional and tried to reflect on his career as humbly as possible.
Rafael Nadal© Davis Cup/X – Fair Use
“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.”
And that’s how we’ll always remember you, Rafa#DavisCup #Rafa #GraciasRafa pic.twitter.com/XWEGT35anq
— Davis Cup (@DavisCup) November 19, 2024
For this week, the locals but also the majority of tennis fans were hoping that Spain could go all the way and retire Nadal with one last trophy.