Ask any person to name a professional tennis player and they will most likely name one of three names: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, or Roger Federer.
These three superstars revolutionized the game and awed tennis fans from around the world. Recently, on November 19, 2024, Nadal announced his retirement after playing a thrilling game against rising Dutch tennis player Botic van de Zandschulp at the Davis Cup. After the tournament concluded, the crowd gave Nadal an emotional send-off where he gave a heart-touching speech and received the respect of the entire tennis community.
Rafael Nadal Parera was born in Manacor, Spain on June 3, 1986. He was first coached by his uncle Toni Nadal, a former professional tennis player at that time. After working with Nadal for a few months, Toni began to see progress and talent in his nephew. Soon, Nadal began winning many tournaments, gaining an advantage over his opponents because of his left-handed forehands and powerful backhands. In 2005, Nadal shocked the world by winning the French Open at the age of 19. From there, Nadal dominated the clay tournament by winning it 14 times over his 20 year career on tour. Before his retirement, Nadal had remained as the No.1 male tennis player for a total of 209 weeks with a record breaking 81 clay surface match win streak.
One of the amazing qualities Nadal demonstrates on court is his determination. At the Nitto ATP 2019, Nadal faced Daniil Medvedev in the finals. With sets even at 1-1 in sets and a 4 game lead for Medvedev, it seemed like all hope was lost for Nadal. But, a game is never over until it is over. Winning a crucial point at 1-5:30-40, Nadal was able to save the match point and bring the game to 2-5. From there, Nadal slowly went back on track, winning 4 games in a row to get a one game lead at 6-5. The final set was brought into a tie breaker. Both players furiously battled each other, winning points after points. Finally, Nadal was able to win breakpoint at 5-4 to bring the tie breaker to 6-4. As the audience waited anxiously on their toes, Medvedev hit his backhand wide, losing the Nitto ATP 2019 Final to Nadal. Nadal is also known for his sportsmanship. Throughout his professional career, Nadal has never smashed or broken a single racket.
Now, Nadal lives peacefully with his wife, Maria Francisca Perello, and his baby boy, Rafael Jr. He said that he is grateful for all the fans that supported him along the way, his dedicated team, his opponents, and most importantly, his loving family. Despite Nadal’s retirement, he will always be remembered as an inspiring role model who lived to be one of the greatest tennis players to have ever lived.
