After 23 years on tour, the King Of Clay to say goodbye in Malaga
Darian Trabold, Editor-in-Chief
On October 10, Spanish tennis player and undisputed King of Clay Rafael “Rafa” Nadal announced his retirement, with his final matches to be played at the Davis Cup in Malaga on November 19. Nadal said in his video message posted to social media “I am here to let you know I am retiring from professional tennis. “The reality is that it has been some difficult years, the last two especially. I don’t think I have been able to play without limitations.” The last time Nadal played was at the Paris Olympics, teaming up with Carlos Alcaraz in the doubles. The 38-year-old is undoubtedly the greatest clay court player of all time winning 14 of his 22 Grand Slams at the French Open, the most titles at a single Grand Slam. He also completed the career grand slam, winning all four slams, twice, and has two Olympic Gold medals – one in singles and one in doubles. His career has been incredible to say the least, and while we all knew this day was coming, it did not make it any easier.
He achieved all this while playing alongside two of the sports other greats Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic who have 20 and 24 Grand Slams respectively. The “Big 3” as they are known, have dominated the sport for 20 years and now only Djokovic remains. The 15-year rivalry between Roger and Rafa is one of the greatest rivalries in sports history. The 2008 Wimbledon final, play was only 12 minutes short of five hours, which Nadal won, is probably the greatest tennis match of all time. We all remember when Roger retired in 2022 at the Laver Cup, the image of Roger and Rafa crying together, a manifestation of 15 years of rivalry and friendship as well as tennis greatness. To be able to say we lived through one of the greatest eras of tennis, with Rafa is a privilege.
Tributes poured in from many of Rafa’s fellow competitors. Coco Gauff wrote “You are amazing! It’s been so incredible to witness your greatness and work ethic and be able to learn from it.” Federer wrote “What a career, Rafa! I always hoped this day would never come. Thank you for the unforgettable memories and all your incredible achievements in the game we love. It’s been an absolute honour.”
Despite injuries plaguing his career, Rafa gave everything, every match, every point from the moment he made his debut on tour at 15 to his last match. In the end, he won two Australian Opens, 14 French Opens, two Wimbledon’s, four US Opens, two Olympic golds, four Davis Cup final victories, 92 ATP Tour titles, 209 weeks as world number one, and 912 consecutive weeks in the top ten. Vamos Rafa, Muchas gracias, te extrañaremos mucho.
