The Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal explained an “unforgettable night” in which said goodbye to the Mutua Madrid Opena tournament where for more than 20 years he cultivated his legend with five titles and saw the affection of his audience grow, without wanting to make “a sea of ​​tears” or release “adrenaline” because his career “continues.”
“It has been an exciting night, as I said, they have never failed me, the people of Madrid, Spain. What they have made me feel is something that will stay with me forever. I have enjoyed it. I have an unforgettable memory Three weeks ago I didn’t know if I would play again and I was able to say goodbye on the trackwith a fairly decent level, means a lot,” he said at a press conference.
The king of the earth closed “the circle” in the capital after falling in the round of 16 against the Czech Jiri Lehecka after midnight. “For me, this city, Spain, has always meant support, energy, which has helped me in a decisive way. I don’t know if it will be the last time I play in Spain. It is very likely that it will be. If it was the last time I played in my country“It has been a great memory and a great night,” he added, leaving a small door open to the Davis Cup.
“I have made every effort to extend my career as long as possible, out of personal satisfaction, a sense of duty and because I still like and get excited about playing this sport.”
Nadal, who a year ago announced his intention to end his career in 2024, celebrated leaving the Caja Mágica with “fewer doubts”, in the midst of a complicated return to the courts, where he really wants to say goodbye. “Yes, I have been emotional, inside, I have endured. I did not want to make a sea of ​​tears, it was almost there, because I have not finished. I have finished playing in Madrid, but I have not yet finished my journey with the racket in my hand “, said.
“So, it has been an extremely exciting night, but Maybe it’s not the time to let go of everything I have inside. I have a way to go and I don’t want to release all that adrenaline yet. I leave this week with important energy, I have taken a step forward, I have no doubt. We will have to see if I am able to consolidate these advances. “I leave here with fewer doubts, it has been an incredibly positive week,” she added.
“My body has withstood several hours of competing at the first level. It’s all a wheel, if I don’t have confidence in my body, tennis is impossible to work. If my body holds up, I don’t know what will happen, it’s difficult to imagine great things. I do what I can. For Paris I will tell you after Rome, that I hope to play with the hope of continuing to evolve,” he added about the proximity of Roland Garros.
On the other hand, Nadal took advantage his memory of the 2005 final in Madrid, where he made an epic comeback but also broke his scaphoid, to also accept the injuries of his career. “The next day I couldn’t even walk, it was my first major injury. The circle is closed here, I never imagined at almost 38 years old that I would be playing here once again. We all envision a short and very complicated career and yet it has been complicated but much less so, even with all those physical problems,” he said.
“I have made every effort to extend my career as long as possible, out of personal satisfaction, a sense of duty and because I still like and get excited about playing this sport. The lesions “They have given me the ability to value all the good things that have happened to me,” added Nadal, who is coming off a blank 2023 and who was playing his third tournament of the season at the Madrid Masters 1000.
Furthermore, the Balearic valued the emotion that people feel when saying goodbye to him in Madrid. “When people get excited, they are not just excited about the sporting issue. It will also be because I have done things well not only with the racket in my hand, I hope I have had appropriate behavior almost always,” he stated.
“I have always tried to be respectful, kind, and serve people in the best way. I have also tried to have appropriate behavior on the court. That people cry is a personal satisfaction At the level of what I consider to be valuable in life, human beings, having at least not been a bad example for new generations,” he concluded.
