Even in his final moments in his most cherished tournament, Rafael Nadal remained defiant.
For the first time in his career, he was handed a microphone, on the fabled red dirt of the Court Philippe Chatrier, after a defeat. The storylines in the buildup to the 2024 French Open was that this was going to be the last time Nadal would play at a tournament he had won a record 14 times.
But Nadal, battered, bruised, and bested by Alexander Zverev in the first round, refused to concede.
In that moment, he refused to say that it was the end. And in many ways, his defiance was symbolic to the player that was Nadal.
A grinder who chased down every ball to his side of the court, Nadal would find a way to send back an opponent’s seeming winner with unforgiving topspin. He would to it over and over, and over again. His body would bear the brunt of that brutal work load. But he would always return to play with the same intensity and hunger.
Younger opponents struggled to keep up with him. His biggest challenge though, was time. And on Wednesday, in an emotional post on social media, Nadal announced that he would end his illustrious career as a professional tennis player at the Davis Cup Finals next month.
At 38, Nadal is the holder of 22 Grand Slam singles titles, 14 of which came at the French Open alone. No player across sport has had that solid a command over a single event than Nadal.
At that first one though, in 2005, he was already a sight to behold.
Then 19, the boy from Manacor wore capri shorts, sleeveless tops that gave credit to the bulging biceps, a bandana that kept the long-hair in place, and a series of on-court rituals that became just as famous as his mandatory grunt after each shot.
In an era where big servers started to appear, Nadal’s serve was not the biggest – though he did manage 4009 aces. What stood out was all that he did after that first shot.
A defensive baseliner, he would grind out the opponent, playing shot after shot, using vicious topspin to make the ball jump higher and faster on the bounce. He loved hugging the baseline in his early years but started to make frequent and measured forays towards the net to kill off a point later on.
In all his years as a professional tennis player, nobody could quite stand up to Nadal except for the other two members of men’s tennis’ Big 3.
His rivalry with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic transcends sport. It was a rivalry that saw each push the other to greatness.
It is perhaps fitting that Nadal’s last singles match outside of the upcoming Davis Cup Finals was the loss to Djokovic – by far his biggest rival – at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Off court, Nadal would often beam an endearing smile. But once he was on court, any court, he had his game face on. He had his plans, and everything had to be done according to it.
The water bottles lined up in a particular way, the careful avoidance of walking on the lines before warmup, the tugging of the shorts before each point, the metronomic grunt after every shot. And then that vociferous roar of “Vamos.”
Once Nadal finally hangs up his racquet, tennis will become a quieter place.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!