Rafa Nadal: A legacy forged from blood, sweat and tears
Spanish gladiator bids farewell to the game and millions of his fans
Dubai: How do you define a legacy like Rafael Nadal’s? Is it by the outpouring of emotions of his peers, the accolades from his fans, or the seemingly endless adjectives that emanate from a critic’s pen? Or do you just let the man define it himself.
“I leave with the peace of mind that I have left a legacy, which I really feel is not just a sporting one but a personal one,” the Spaniard told fans in Malaga during a ceremony to honour his retirement after his loss to the Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp in the Davis Cup on Tuesday. “I understand that the love I have received, if it was just for what happened on the court, would not be the same. The titles, the numbers are there, so people probably know that, but the way that I would like to be remembered more is like a good person, from a small village in Mallorca.”
Needless to say, the match in itself was a mere footnote to the monstrous achievements of a true gladiator on court, the likes of which the sport had never seen before. History will remember him as one of the greatest to have played the game, someone who may not have been as gifted as Roger Federer, his greatest rival-turned friend, but one who embodied the human qualities that we have always loved and admired: grit, determination and the never-say-die attitude on a tennis court.
Back in 2022, when Federer announced his retirement, the tennis elites were beside him in person at his pet event, the Laver Cup, for his swansong. The tears flowed freely as Nadal joined fans in bidding the genius an emotional goodbye. It was the kind of farewell befitting tennis royalty.
Nadal beat Mariano Puerta 6-7 (7/6), 6-3, 6-1, 7-5
The one that started it all.
Nadal came in as an 18-year-old left-hander on the rise, with a huge top-spin forehand and expectations to match.
He won all three clay-court lead-up tournaments, in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Rome and there was a buzz growing around Nadal as he took to court in a sleeveless shirt, prowling like a young matador.
He blasted through the draw taking out Richard Gasquet, Sebastien Grosjean and David Ferrer.
But the real test came in the semi-final against world No 1 Federer.
It was Nadal's 19th birthday and he won 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Little-known Puerta of Argentina, ranked 37, was dispatched in a four-set final and Nadal would not lose another match on the Paris clay until 2009.
2008 Wimbledon
Nadal beat Federer 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (7/5), 6-7 (10/8), 9-7
A match that is widely remembered as one of the greatest tennis contests of all time, went to Nadal after an incredible four hours, 48 minutes of action.
Scheduled for a 2pm start, the final began late because of rain, had two more rain delays, and ended in light so bad that the Hawk-Eye line-calling system had ceased to work.
Federer clawed back a two-set deficit and saved two match points in the fourth set to take it the distance.
The sheer quality of tennis was like nothing seen before until Federer finally erred, finding the net at 9:21 pm to hand Nadal, who fell on his back onto the grass in relief, his first Wimbledon triumph.
2009 Australian Open
Nadal beat Federer 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 6-2
Nadal again came out on top against Federer, this time in a five-set, four-and-a-half-hour thriller.
Unbelievably, the match started less than 24 hours after Nadal had played for five hours and 14 minutes to beat countryman Fernando Verdasco in a five-set semi-final.
Nadal's incredible feat of recovery and stamina delayed Federer from tying Pete Sampras's then record of 14 Grand Slam titles, and gave Nadal his first Australian Open.
2012 Australian Open
Nadal lost to Djokovic 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 7-5
One of four Australian Open final defeats for Nadal, but a true epic that will be forever etched in the memory.
The match was the ultimate test of endurance and skill as it unfolded over five hours and 53 minutes of tennis of the highest quality between the world number one Djokovic and second-ranked Nadal.
When it finally ended at 1:37 am Monday local time - the longest Grand Slam final in history - both players were almost out on their feet.
The pair traded brutal blows all night - one energy-draining 31-shot rally caused Djokovic to fall at the end and Nadal to tumble over the sidelines.
"This one was very special," Nadal said. "Not because I lost, no, because of the way that we played."
During the trophy presentation, both players needed to sit down. They were totally exhausted.
2013 US Open
Nadal bt Djokovic 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1
Nadal had seven months out to rest his creaking, injured knees, missing the 2012 US Open and 2013 Australian Open. But he took the world of tennis by storm on his return.
The Spaniard won 60 of 64 matches, 22 of them on hard courts not thought to favour the "King of Clay", lifted 10 titles, two of them Grand Slams (French Open, US Open) and registered his sixth win over Djokovic in seven matches.
Again the quality of the tennis was that of dreams.
One rally lasted for 54 shots as Nadal won in three hours and 21 minutes of pulsating action.
2022 Australian Open
Nadal beat Daniil Medvedev 2-6, 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5
The 35-year-old Nadal claimed a 21st Slam title with a stunning comeback against Medvedev.
He became the first man in the Open era to win the Australian Open from two sets down, and also saved three break points in the third set.
Medvedev said Nadal's performance was "unreal" after coming out second-best in a gruelling match which lasted five hours and 24 minutes.
It was the second time Nadal had defeated Medvedev in a major final, after another five-set epic went his way in New York in 2019.
Nadal’s farewell yesterday was one that befitted a working-class hero. He left everything out on the court against the unheralded Dutchman in his final match, just like he had done in every match he played before. He was celebrated with a video montage on the many screens around the Martin Carpena arena in Malaga where over 10,000 fans saw his career come to a close. Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Serena Williams and other tennis greats left messages in the video, alongside former Spanish football stars including Raul and Andres Iniesta.
Knowing the Spaniard, it was not how he would have wanted to go out. But after years ravaged by injuries and not having played an official singles match since July, this seemed almost inevitable. To put the defeat in perspective, prior to this match, Nadal had won his last 29 Davis Cup singles matches out of 30 played — after debuting in the tournament in 2004 with a loss. But these are mere numbers and we can go on and on about his 22 Grand Slam titles — second in the men’s all-time list behind another of his greatest rivals Djokovic — his 14 French Open titles, 92 ATP Tour-level titles, 2 Olympic gold medals, 4 Davis Cup titles, the list just goes on.
He was a lot more than the numbers. He made people believe that anything was possible through sheer hard work and dedication to the craft, no matter the circumstance. He went through the agony of seeing his parents separate, just when he had reached the pinnacle of tennis, in 2009. That left a lasting scar, but also steeled his resolve.
Injury woes
Over the years, Nadal has had to pay the price for being such a physical player. His chronic foot problems troubled him, hindered him, but never stopped him from tirelessly running around the back of the court, retrieving seemingly impossible shots, before unleashing one of his own, much like a boxer who soaks up the blows before landing the knockout punch.
He did that many a time to Federer at the peak of their rivalry, his vicious forehand topspins to the weaker Federer backhand often tilting the balance in his favour. He registered 23 victories in matches against a man ranked No 1 at the time, which is the most since ATP computerised rankings began in 1973. As Federer wrote in his tribute ahead of Nadal’s final match: “Let’s start with the obvious: you beat me — a lot. More than I managed to beat you. You challenged me in ways no one else could. On clay, it felt like I was stepping into your backyard, and you made me work harder than I ever thought I could just to hold my ground. You made me reimagine my game — even going so far as to change the size of my racket head, hoping for any edge.”
Those at the Martin Carpena arena in Malaga saw the tears during Nadal’s emotional farewell speech. But not many would have seen the amount of blood and sweat shed to forge Nadal the champion. His uncle Toni would have seen that, would have seen the pain, the hours and hours of practice on dodgy knees just to be back on court to challenge for greatness.
The 38-year-old Spaniard said he hoped to be a “good ambassador” for tennis in the years to come and was not afraid to begin his retirement. For someone who looked every challenge in the eye, that should be a walk in the park.