Gracias, Rafael

RAFAEL NADAL possibly sensed the writing on the wall at the 2022 Laver Cup when he played alongside Roger Federer in the Swiss star’s final tournament. Both of them wept as the Federer era ended. Two years on, the 38-year-old Spaniard, indisputably one of the greatest tennis players in history, has called time on his iconic professional career. Along with Federer and Novak Djokovic, Nadal formed the ‘Big Three’, dominating the men’s game from the early 2000s. His success came despite being plagued by a series of injuries, attributed to all the blazing intensity he brought to his game. For years, he has also suffered from a rare condition affecting his feet. In this life, everything has a beginning and an end, Nadal said, announcing his retirement on Thursday. For his legion of fans, it’s an emotional moment — tough to accept, but time to say gracias, thank you, to the 22-time Grand Slam champion for the memories.

Nadal’s list of achievements is stupendous. He is the second-most successful men’s singles player of all time, behind only Djokovic. Known as the ‘King of Clay’, Nadal won the French Open singles title a record 14 times, his first just days after his 19th birthday in 2005. A four-time US Open champion, he won both the Australian Open and Wimbledon twice. There’s more — an Olympic singles and doubles gold. He will represent Spain in his last appearance at next month’s Davis Cup Finals. Playing alongside him will be Carlos Alcaraz, long seen as his heir.

For the entirety of his career, Nadal competed with ferocity on the court. The instant the match ended, it would be relaxed grace. Doubts are good, he once said, for any admission of superiority would be a sign of weakness. More power to you, Rafael Nadal!