Nadal’s self-destruction ends: the Spanish bull played tennis like no one before

Rafael Nadal rang the bell for a long time about the perfect end to his career. But his body keeps forcing him to take breaks and cancellations. He will play one last time at the Davis Cup. And show people what they will miss in the future. There won’t be anyone like him again.

There is no shortage of dazzling royal figures in the French monarchy. There was the “fat guy”. There was the “pious” one. There was the “lion”, the “holy”, the “good”, the “kind”, the “mad”. And there is Rafael Nadal, the “all-powerful”. Or better: the “most powerful one that ever existed”. At least on the red ashes of Roland Garros. No tennis player ever before and perhaps never again has made this sacred surface at the French Open his subject and friend as much as the Spanish giant. He has won the tournament in Paris 14 times. And since this Thursday it has now been set in stone that a 15th triumph will definitely not happen. Because next month the Spaniard’s career ends.

Was she tall? Was it huge? Was it gigantic? Hardly any words do justice to what Nadal has achieved in his sport, what he has given to his sport. He celebrated 92 tournament victories in singles and 11 in doubles. 1307 games were played. He celebrated 22 Grand Slams. Only Novak Djokovic, the Spaniard’s great rival alongside Roger Federer, has more triumphs at the big four tournaments. The 38-year-old’s list of successes can be extended for a long time, including Olympic champion and Davis Cup winner. But what is unique and will probably remain: the 14 triumphs in Roland Garros.

Playing is only possible with restrictions

The fact that he could have added another major chapter to the story of his immortality in Paris was considered impossible anyway. Another rival, his own body, had become too big in recent years. In the emotional farewell video, he indicated that he could no longer find a plan to win against this rival. How he had so often found plans before, against Federer, Djokovic and whoever else stood in his way.

“The reality is that it has been a difficult few years,” Nadal said in the clip he posted on social media. “Especially the last two. I don’t think I’ve been able to play without restrictions. “It’s obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken some time.” He will now compete again next month, for Spain in the Davis Cup. After the emotional triumph with Spain in 2004, the 38-year-old Nadal is now about to come full circle. It would be a spectacular end to an incredible career. He will show people what they will miss in the future. There won’t be anyone like him again.

So a time in tennis is coming to an end that simply didn’t want to end. Roger Federer had already sneaked out the back door because he didn’t have the perfect time either. Now Nadal is leaving. And it won’t be ages before Djokovic puts the racket aside. Even if the Serb actually seems to be succeeding, the processes on his own tennis clock are clearly slowing down. Three guys who have shaped this sport in an impressive and unique way. Federer, who gave this game a new lightness, a new beauty. Djokovic, who was able to dominate with his power and game intelligence like hardly anyone before him.

And Nadal, whose Mallorcan fighting heart, whose topspin, his angle game, enchanted the world. He changed the game with a force never seen before, with a relentlessness with which he ran his opponents into the ground, and with an unshakable courage and strength of struggle. He is actually a fearful person, as his mother once revealed.

Goosebumps moment with seriously injured Zverev

The charming Federer was always loved. The greedy Djokovic, who could be so funny, was amazed, but also always viewed a little more critically. Also because of his sometimes obscure world views. And Nadal? He has had the most spectacular change of the trio. At the beginning of his phenomenal career, large parts of the audience were alienated by his biting, aggressive style on the pitch. They could see what furious tennis the Spaniard plays. But she couldn’t get excited about it because he only showed one side of himself. But the longer he was there, the more successful he became, the closer he became to people. Also because he repeatedly showed human greatness. In defeat. Or when an opponent is not doing well. Like once against Alexander Zverev in 2022. The German suffered a fatal twist after an outstanding performance in the semi-finals, screamed in pain and had to break off the party that could have been epic. Nadal’s hug for Zverev, a goosebumps moment.

But Nadal also increasingly experienced the love and recognition on the court. Because he delivered to the fans then they craved. It delivers epic battles and magical moments. Moments of magical perfection. And he may never have played a better game than on October 11, 2020 in Roland Garros. In the men’s final of the giants, he pulverized Djokovic in a surreal way. No, the Serb didn’t play bad tennis that day. He actually played well. And on a day that wasn’t October 11, 2020, Djokovic would have offered, perhaps achieved, on court Philippe Chatrier to win this French Open. But October 11, 2020 was the very day Rafael Nadal showed the world how perfect a tennis match can be. The Spaniard thundered past the Serbs with 6:0 (!), 6:2 (!) and 7:5. Other iconic moments: His final victory at Wimbledon 2008 against Federer, for many observers the best match of all time – or the epic final in Melbourne against Djokovic in 2012, which the Serb won after 5:53 hours.

But Nadal’s great, energy-sapping career was accompanied by his health problems. Müller-Weiss syndrome was discovered in 2005, a degenerative bone disease in which the scaphoid deforms or regresses over time. This syndrome has repeatedly affected the 36-year-old. You don’t even want to think about what historical brands everyone would have cracked and where this legend would now be if he hadn’t been so vulnerable. The striking body became his greatest enemy. A few years ago he once knew: “I played with an anesthetized foot, the nerves were blocked.” Before each of his games, he had injections for his chronic problems. A madness.

A few last big moments at the Olympics

But there is still Rafael Nadal in Rafael Nadal. However, this was demonstrated to the tennis world in just a few moments at the Olympic Games in Paris this summer. For a long time it looked like a brutal dismantling by his great rival Novak Djokovic in the singles at Roland Garros in his living room. But then Nadal, the tireless fighter, found his inner Rafael again for a few minutes. He was trailing 1:6 and 0:4 when he suddenly turned up the heat. His punches land where they should land. The Spaniard chased his Serbian opponents across the field like in the best of times and actually fought his way to the 4-4 equalizer. The sensation, the gigantic comeback seemed possible for tiny moments. The audience sensed this and went wild. Suddenly there they were again, the iconic moments, the magic strokes with which the 38-year-old had become the king of Paris over the past two decades. From young rebel to royal fan favorite. But now hardly anything works.

“Thank you very much, Rafa. You made the tennis world a better place,” German legend Boris Becker wrote on Instagram. And Federer wrote to X about an “absolute honor” to be able to play against Nadal and thanked him for “unforgettable memories. I always hoped that this day would never come.”

And this insight is a last great victory for the Spaniard, who has tormented himself for so long. As long as the bell rang for the perfect exit. “I believe that it is the right time to end a career that has been long and much, much more successful than I could ever have imagined. But I’m very excited that my last tournament will be the Davis Cup final.” “It will be where I represent my country. I think it’s come full circle, one of my first joys in tennis was the Davis Cup final in Seville in 2004,” he says in his video. “I feel super, super lucky that I got to experience all the things. I would like to thank the entire tennis industry. To all the people involved in this sport, my long-time colleagues, especially my big rivals. I spent so many hours with them and experienced many moments that I will remember for the rest of my life.