2024-11-19 23:07:00
Rafael Nadal‘s immense career ended on Tuesday, November 19 in Malaga, after a 2-1 defeat for Spain against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals of the Davis Cup. Unrivaled on clay, Rafael Nadal extended his domination to all surfaces thanks to his mental strength and his resilience in the face of injuries, which eventually got the better of him.
Two years after Roger Federer, “Rafa” became the second member of the “Big Four” of tennis to put away his rackets for good, “serene” after a final defeat in the quarter-finals of the Davis Cup against the Netherlands. “It didn’t end as we all would have liked”, namely with Spain qualifying, regretted the hero of the day during a tribute ceremony which began with a litany of thanks.
But “I feel so lucky,” said a initially smiling Nadal in a standing room cheering him on, including in the stands reserved for Dutch spectators. His voice broke with emotion as he thanked his family, who played an essential role in his career, particularly his uncle and long-term coach, Toni Nadal. “You never failed me, you made sure that I kept my feet on the ground, I left with peace of mind,” said the left-hander.
“Destined to achieve great things”
With his 22 major coronations, including 14 at Roland-Garros, the 38-year-old Spaniard, whose career ended Tuesday evening in Malaga, is the second most successful man in Grand Slams behind Djokovic (24) and ahead of his great rival Roger Federer (20). “Rafa” has crushed the competition in ocher for almost twenty years, since his professional debut in 2001, but reducing his palette to this color would be a mistake.
With 92 trophies, the throne of world number one occupied for 209 weeks, four Davis Cups and two Olympic gold medals, in singles (2008) and doubles (2016), he has one of the most extensive lists with those of Djokovic and Federer. “I faced him very young,” recalled former world number one Lleyton Hewitt in Malaga. “As soon as he arrived, it was obvious that he was destined to achieve great things,” said the Australian.
For the American Tommy Paul (12th), Nadal “always won and lost with class […]. Even if he wasn’t your favorite player, you couldn’t help but admire his way of doing things.” In January 2022, in Melbourne, the Spaniard became after Djokovic the second player of the Open era (since 1968) to win each of the four Grand Slam tournaments at least twice.
He himself places above his two victories on the grass of Wimbledon in 2008 and 2010. Especially the first, won in a legendary match against the Swiss champion, co-author with him of one of the most exciting soap operas in history sports.
But it is on clay that his art has reached perfection. During his career, he was almost unbeatable from April to June thanks to his uncontrollable lift and his supersonic slides: 484 matches won out of 535 played, more than 90% success.
The importance of the Nadal clan
His Parisian triumphs, from 2005 to 2008, from 2010 to 2014, from 2017 to 2020 and in 2022, are his masterpieces. No champion has ever managed to win the same Grand Slam tournament so many times… or any other category for that matter. No one else has ever won 81 matches in a row on clay, a record set between April 2005 and May 2007, nor stacked 63 titles on this surface.
Born to a trader mother and a business manager father in Manacor, the third city of Majorca, a Balearic island to which he remains viscerally attached, Nadal spent his childhood in a building where his entire family lived, or rather his clan as an esprit de corps united its members. In this regard, the separation of his parents in 2009 was a severe ordeal.
In a tribute published Tuesday on social networks, Roger Federer made no mistake, congratulating the “family” and the “team” around Nadal, “who all played an immense role in [son] success.”
His uncle Miguel Angel Nadal, a former footballer at FC Barcelona, made him aware of the demands of professional sport at a very young age. But it was Toni Nadal, his mentor from the age of 4 until 2018 (when his compatriot and friend Carlos Moya took over), who had the most decisive influence.
Under the merciless rule of this uncle coach, the little prodigy sweated blood and water at the tennis club right in front of the family residence. “He put a lot of pressure on me, used brutal language, shouted often; I was afraid of him,” says the player in his autobiography “Rafa”. According to Toni, it was the price to pay for transforming a rather shy and fearful boy into a fighting beast on the court. And also as a gentleman: “Absolute prohibition on throwing your racket”.
Repeated injuries
Less technically gifted than Federer, the left-handed Nadal (but right-handed in life) triumphed thanks to his mentality, this “capacity to accept difficulties and overcome them, superior to that of most of [ses] rivals”, in his words, and to his exceptional power of concentration.
His body has often been his worst enemy. From 2006, Nadal thought he was lost due to chronic pain (Müller-Weiss syndrome) in his left foot. This pain which comes and goes without ever disappearing became particularly debilitating at the very end of his career: he thus won his fourteenth and last Roland-Garros with an anesthetized foot.
Knee and wrist problems also kept him off the courts for long periods, not to mention abdominal tears. Nadal attempted a final comeback in 2024 in Paris: at Roland-Garros first, then at the Olympic Games. He actually played there, but far from his best form.
Also readOlympic Games 2024: Djokovic outclasses Nadal in the duel of legends at Roland-Garros
This immensely famous and wealthy man (nearly $135 million in tournament winnings, not including advertising revenue) describes himself as an ordinary person who loves nothing more than going fishing with his friends, watching football matches, football – which he preferred to tennis as a child – and spending time with his wife “Mery”, a Majorcan with whom he has shared life since 2005. They had a son in October 2022, named Rafael.
With AFP
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What are Rafael Nadal’s most significant achievements on clay courts, particularly at the French Open?
“Rafa” Nadal, renowned for his exceptional talent on clay courts, has crafted an illustrious career marked by a staggering win rate and unparalleled achievements in tennis. His clay court dominance has culminated in numerous triumphs at the French Open, propelling him to a legendary status in the sport. Born into a tightly-knit family in Manacor, Mallorca, Nadal has often credited his upbringing and family support as fundamental to his success.
His uncle, Miguel Angel Nadal, a former footballer, introduced him to the rigors of professional sports, but it was his coach and uncle, Toni Nadal, who played a pivotal role in shaping him into one of the fiercest competitors. Toni’s demanding training regimen instilled not only the technique but also the mental resilience for which Nadal is celebrated. Despite facing numerous injuries throughout his career, Nadal’s relentless work ethic and mental fortitude have allowed him to overcome these setbacks, maintaining his position among the sport’s elite alongside Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
With his record-setting 14 titles at Roland-Garros and numerous other accolades, Nadal’s legacy in tennis is not solely defined by victories, but also by his sportsmanship and dedication to the game. As he navigates the latter stage of his career, his impact on tennis will undoubtedly endure, inspiring future generations of athletes.