‘An outpouring of emotion from figures way beyond tennis’
Nadal’s retirement announcement wasn’t a big surprise, but it still felt seismic. Men’s tennis without Nadal just doesn’t seem right. He has been such a dominant, unique figure — a genuine one-of-a-kind whose reputation and adoration goes way beyond tennis.
You only have to look at the outpouring of emotion from figures across sport, particularly in football and particularly in Spain, to see his global impact. It wasn’t just what he achieved on the court, but the way that he achieved it.
For many Nadal is the greatest player and competitor to have ever played the men’s game, with surely the most ferocious and effective forehand the sport has ever seen. Stars move on all the time, and of course rationally we knew this day would always have to come.
And yet somehow Nadal felt immortal, able to withstand constant serious injury to reemerge at the top of the sport, winning one of its biggest prizes, the 2022 French Open, with one functional foot. At 38, it’s time to say goodbye. But the legacy he leaves will never be forgotten.
