Then there was one. Roger Federer held on as long as he could, pulling the curtain in 2022. Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray have followed suit within months of each other during a whirlwind 2024 campaign seeing many of the younger generation assert themselves, while Novak Djokovic is the last man standing. His fiercest rival has said farewell and the sport far weaker for it.
Nadal did it all with a sheer refusal to back down
Rafael Nadal, at a glance
22 Grand Slam singles titles, 8 runner-up medals and 36 Masters titles
92 ATP career singles titles, including Olympic gold in Beijing 2008
11 doubles titles, which included Olympic gold with Marc Lopez at Rio 2016
209 total weeks – four years and a week – as world no. 1 across 12 years (2008-20)
186 top-10 wins, third-most of all-time (behind Federer, Djokovic) in Open Era
$134.9m in prize money, record 14 French Open titles, 1080-228 W/L record (82.6%)
RAFAEL Nadal has called time on an illustrious tennis career, one that began at the professional level when this very writer was in nursery and the relentless Spaniard like very few others has been a constant theme in life – something you can’t afford to take lightly especially given how finite and unpredictable elite sports can be.
Top Spin 4 had Andy Murray, another recent retiree, front and centre on the UK cover (for obvious reasons) but the Mallorca man encapsulated everyone one could want in the video game-type tennis player: a ferocious forehand, beautiful two-handed backhand, delightful drop shots, clever court coverage and a refusal to let rallies end.
If the first two paragraphs read like a love letter, this piece isn’t one. Nadal, for all those awe-inspiring records and unforgettable moments living on in his legacy, was often disingenuous and the post-coronavirus lockdown phase of his career will be remembered more for what he didn’t do, rather than what he was able to.
He could’ve conceivably retired on a high after clinching a 21st Major title in Melbourne, or after playing through anesthetic injections to clinch the French Open title five months later, but instead was stubborn enough to endure more pain and limp his way through a two-year stretch where he won just 13 of his last 23 matches.
Rafa prepared for the Olympics on hallowed Parisian turf with a run to the final in Bastad a week beforehand, losing to Portugal’s Nuno Borges in the final following consecutive three-set three-hour matchdays featuring dramatic recovery victories against Argentina’s #4 seed Mariano Navone and Serbian qualifier Duje Ajdukovic.
They say pride comes before the fall and his stubborn stance when reporters kept questioning his retirement timeline meant we had to suffer through his physical decline in real-time, belatedly accepting a body that could no longer do things his mind wanted to, for more than 20 minutes at a time against his very best peers.
He showed flashes of life vs. fellow Olympic champ Alexander Zverev in a marquee first-round matchup watched by many, including longtime rival Novak Djokovic and the heir to his throne in Spain, four-time Major titleholder and world no. 2 Carlos Alcaraz who eclipsed one of his records at the German’s expense some 13 days later.
En route to a long-awaited Olympic gold medal himself, Djokovic was a comprehensive winner at his expense on clay in late July and by that stage, it was clear – even if he wanted to hint otherwise – this announcement was forthcoming.
He reached the doubles quarter-finals alongside Alcaraz before losing to tournament’s fourth seeded American duo Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram, while more injury recovery-and-management killed any schedule continuity a long while back.
After a lucrative Saudi exhibition named the Six Kings Slam in mid-October, losing in straight-sets to Alcaraz and later Djokovic, today’s Davis Cup defeat by the Netherlands and Botic van de Zandschulp marks his final hurrah without the magical fairytale.
Malaga said farewell with an on-court celebration, complete with video packages from familiar faces and the like, as did two rivals who’ve shared arduous battles and spent countless nights worrying about how to gameplan against him. There’s no greater compliment.
Roger Federer: “What a career, Rafa! I always hoped this day would never come, thank you for the unforgettable memories and all your incredible achievements in the game we love. It’s been an absolute honor!”
Novak Djokovic: “Your tenacity, dedication, fighting spirit is going to be taught for decades, legacy will live forever. Only you know what you had to endure to become an tennis icon and sport in general. Thank you for pushing me to the very limit so many times in our rivalry, impacting me the most as a player.”
Picture source: Getty Images
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