Rafael Nadal’s glorious career ended after the Netherlands defeated Spain in the quarterfinal of the Davis Cup at Malaga, The veteran had revealed last month that the Davis Cup will be swansong on the tour. Nadal will finish his career as one of the greats of the game and clinched a total of 22 Grand Slams titles.
The Spaniard said on Monday that he can not be competitive enough at the top level and thus decided to call it a day on his career. Nadal said he wants to be remembered as a good person, who chased his dreams.
The lefty also admitted he was lucky to get the support of his family and his former coach and uncle Toni Nadal played a key role in helping him rise through the ranks.
“The titles and numbers are there so people probably know that, but the way I would like to be remembered is being a good person from a small village in Mallorca where I had the luck to have my uncle as a tennis coach,” Nadal said Tuesday on the court in a special presentation honoring his career.
“I had a great family who supported me in every moment. I was a kid who followed their dreams and worked as hard as possible to be where I am today. At the end of the day, a lot of people try their best every single day, but I’m very lucky to have the life I have to live because of tennis.”
Nadal will finish his career with 14 French Open titles, the most for any player at the particular slam.
Nadal: “I want to be remembered as good person and a kid who followed their dreams and achieved more than I ever believed possible.”
The 38-year-old always played with the right attitude and never gave up on a point and thus achieved all the success in his career.