Led by some of his biggest rivals, tributes pour in for the Spanish icon
©Christophe Saïdi / FFT“One word to describe you, Rafa, would be, ‘Kind’.”
That’s the opening line in a tribute video for Nadal released by the ATP Tour last week to celebrate and honour the Spanish legend’s retirement from tennis.
The person delivering that line is a legend himself, and one of Rafael Nadal’s fiercest rivals – Roger Federer.
The Swiss had already posted a heartfelt and lengthy letter on social media, addressed to his rival-turned-friend.
In it, Federer reflected on their early days as opponents on court, his admiration for Nadal’s record-breaking career, his work ethic, the example he set for others, and even his meticulous on-court rituals.
“Rafa, you made me enjoy the game even more,” gushed Federer.
Over the past week, it felt like the whole world took to social media to express their gratitude for the 14-time Roland-Garros champion.
And through those messages of appreciation, layers and layers are being added to Nadal’s expansive legacy.
Many of the current players on tour grew up watching Nadal.
Matteo Berrettini says one of his fondest and earliest memories of Nadal was when he was nine years old, waiting to watch cartoons on TV but instead getting caught up in the Spaniard’s five-hour victory over Guillermo Coria in the 2005 Rome final.
“Then probably when I played against him in 2019 US Open semi-final, that was the nicest memory. Obviously, I lost the match, but playing against him in one of the biggest stages in tennis is something I'm going to take with me for years,” added the Italian.
Ben Shelton, a lefty like Nadal, has been a long-time fan of the 22-time major winner.
“I used to wear all his kits, his shoes, everything, a lot of neon colours. And being a lefty, he's a guy that I have always kind of watched and tried to learn things from,” said the 22-year-old American.
“He’s one of those perfect examples of how to do things on and off the court, how to handle the press, how to win with class, how to lose with class. The way he competes, he could maybe be down 6-0, 5-0, 40-Love, and still have a chance to win.
“He's one of those guys you never think is out of it, one of those almost perfect competitors.”
Another lefty, Canadian Denis Shapovalov, believes Nadal’s accomplishments transcended the sport.
“I think he's left a crazy imprint on the game of tennis. I remember watching him when I was just a kid, you know, cleaning up all the tournaments, winning so much. It's definitely crazy what he's been able to achieve. I think not just for a tennis player but for any athlete it's insane. Yeah, it's definitely very special,” said the 25-year-old.
©Corinne Dubreuil / FFTIt wasn’t just the youngsters that looked up to Nadal. His own contemporaries have been in awe of him from the moment he exploded onto the scene as a teenager in sleeveless short and signature capris.
“I feel so fortunate to have been able to play when you were playing and being great,” wrote Serena Williams on Instagram.
“You inspired me to be better, to play harder, to fight, to never give up, and to win more. No excuses just play the sport. Your legacy will never die. Wow to see your career from the beginning to today was an honour, Champ! Long live Rafa!”
Five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova echoed Williams’ sentiments, saying: “No one like you, Rafael Nadal. I have so much respect for your grit, your love of the ‘fight’, and the pure class with which you showed up, even on a tough day.”
Nadal got to spend his last week in professional tennis alongside his Spanish teammates at the Davis Cup Final 8 in Malaga.
Getting to say goodbye on home soil was a special and emotional affair for everyone involved, including his compatriots, who hold him in the highest regard.
Besides the ‘Gracias Rafa’ posters that popped up all over Malaga, including a massive banner that covered the Ciudad de Malaga Stadium across the street from the Davis Cup venue, an ad for a local brand featured a billboard with a photo of Carlos Alcaraz on it that read: “The best tennis player leaves behind the best legacy, Carlos Alcaraz”.
“I think that he (Nadal) is one of the best ambassadors for tennis. His legacy is going to be eternal,” Alcaraz told reporters during the Davis Cup.
“He has been great for tennis, for this sport in general. The way he left tennis, it is incredible. Probably he was one of the players that put tennis, you know, in the top of sport in the top of the world. So it is just great to have had Rafa in tennis, in Spain, and in my life.”
©Marine Andrieux / FFTAnother Spaniard who has closely witnessed Nadal’s entire career is his good friend and former teammate Feliciano Lopez, who was in Malaga serving as the tournament director of the Davis Cup Final 8.
Reflecting on some of Nadal’s most special attributes, Lopez said: “He’s someone very passionate, he does everything with a lot of passion in his life. As a tennis player, I will say his intensity, from the first point until the last point, and this is something very rare to see.
“Tennis matches can be very long and you see up and downs all the time with almost every player, but with Rafa it’s a different story. He’s able to play with a lot of intensity and his self-belief also is something I think out of this world. That’s really something also remarkable.
“But also tennis-wise, he’s a very complete player. He’s so powerful, the speed of his ball is completely different than any of the players. There was always a lot of talk regarding his fitness condition, his mentality and his intensity, all these things, but I think tennis-wise he’s top three in the history of the sport, otherwise I don’t think he would have been able to achieve everything that he achieved.”
Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray shared Lopez’s assessment.
“The energy that he brought to the courts, from the first match to the very last match is something that people will remember for a very long time,” said Djokovic, who has faced Nadal on tour a record 60 times.
“Probably the most intense – in a good way – tennis player that we have ever witnessed.”
Murray, who gives Nadal credit for inspiring him to move to Spain when he was 15 to take up tennis more seriously, has known the Mallorcan since their junior days.
“The passion and intensity that you played with, not just on the match court, but on the practice court, was something that I think all players aspire to and what all tennis fans will remember you for,” said Murray.
Former world No.1 Lleyton Hewitt said Nadal “goes down as one of the absolute greatest. I think how great a competitor he is, in my opinion, probably second to none, nearly in all sport”.
Another former world No.1, Andy Roddick, says the way Nadal managed to challenge Federer at a time when the Swiss was at the peak of his powers was game-changing for the sport.
“An absolute gentlemen. If my kids ever tried to imitate anything that Rafa did, I would be beaming with pride,” said Roddick on his podcast Served.
“The way he went about it, the way he treated people, the way he had time for everyone, in his bad moods he would still look you in the eye and say hello. And then, that’s before we even get to what he did on court.
“The way he fought, the way he went about his business, the way he completely transformed tennis with his ability to create spin, and power, and speed, and then all of a sudden you put all of those things together, the leftiness…
“We had a champion that was never going to be beaten again. And then it took the perfect prototype of a player to even bother Roger a little. You create a prototype of someone who is fast, strong, and can find the only pocket up and away on Roger and all of a sudden it made tennis interesting again.”
World No.2 Iga Swiatek is one of Nadal’s biggest fans and she had “mixed feelings” in the build-up to his final match in Malaga.
“I really will miss watching him on court. Honestly, he was the only player I watched, so I don't know if I'm going to watch tennis at all now. But, yeah, he's a huge inspiration,” said the Polish star.
And he always will be! Once again: Gracias, Rafa.
ROLAND-GARROS
19 May - 8 June 2025
