Tennis superstar Nadal: A great athlete is ending

Rafael Nadal has announced his retirement from tennis. The 38-year-old has shaped the game in many ways like no other – and not just on a sporting level.

Rafael Nadal himself probably can hardly remember exactly the year 2002, when a small delegation from the small town of Neuss near Düsseldorf met him at home Manacor visited.

Matthias Stechmann, the then chairman of Blau Weiss Neuss, which had a team in the tennis Bundesliga, had a tip from an acquaintance Mallorca get: A very young player from the Balearic Island is an absolutely exceptional talent.

First tournament win with 15

At the age of 15, this largely unknown boy was on the ATP tour Mallorca already won his first title. And he let Ramon Delgado feel how good Nadal, who was self-confident on the tennis court, was back then.

“If I’m solid, a 15-year-old can’t hold me.”his final opponent at the time, Delgado, described the starting position. “But soon, right from the start, I noticed the consistency of his punches.”f.” The paraguer underestimated Nadal – and lost in two sets 4:6, 4:6.

French Open winner at 19 years old

After a lot of persuasion from the Neuss delegation, this 16-year-old Nadal, with his long, flowing hair and a shirt that was far too big, played twice for the Rhinelanders in the summer of 2003 – and of course left the ash court as the winner each time.

What followed was a career that Nadal himself could never have dreamed of. Just 22 months later and two months after his 19th birthday, he won it for the first time French Open. In total there were 22 Grand Slam titles, the “Bull from Manacor” won the crown a total of 14 times in Paris alone, he celebrated 1,080 individual victories on the tour and won 92 tournaments. What a record.

Epic duel of the big three

His epic duels, especially with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, not only kept the tennis world in suspense: the encounters between the Spanish worker with the brute force against the Swiss virtuoso with the elegance of a ballet dancer or against the Serbian model athlete with the precision of clockwork were a cause for concern requires many tired eyes at work when the big three overseas duel once again in the dead of night – and the fans are excited in front of the screens.

Nadal not only belonged to an extraordinary generation of tennis professionals, he shaped them in a way that few others have done before. Because as highly professional and dogged as he appeared in the world’s courts, he was just as different outside of his parties.

Role model of sportsmanship

Because unlike the generations of players before him – John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker, André Agassi, Pete Sampras and many more – he saw his sporting opponents as opponents outside of tournaments. He viewed them more as colleagues with whom he maintained a friendly relationship. For this he received respect from all sides.

Arrogance or even arrogance were never his thing. He also always avoided freaking out on the court after bad decisions or poor performance.

In particular, his close bond with his greatest rival Roger Federer, which still exists today, stands out and is evidence of a sporting spirit that is by no means a given at the highest sporting level – and must be considered exemplary.

“I always hoped this day would never come. Thank you for the unforgettable memories and all your incredible achievements in the game we love” Federer sent best wishes via social media.

Customer of doping doctor Fuentes?

However, Nadal was plagued by (too) many injuries that kept him out for several months. In the past two years, his numerous comeback attempts have never led to a change in performance.

And with the Spaniard too there were moments that cast a dark shadow that at least clouded the flawless picture a little.

At the ““Operation Puerto”initiated by the Spanish Civil Guardwhich involved, among other things, blood bags in the refrigerators of the Spanish gynecologist and convicted doping doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, the name Nadal was mentioned as one of the prominent customers. But nothing was ever proven to him – and the Spanish superstar always denied it.

Farewell to the Davis Cup

Nadal has made the biggest headlines primarily because of his brutal style of play, his irrepressible will, his complete dedication and his passion for this sport.

This great, unique career will now end at the Davis Cup finals (November 19th to 24th) in Malaga, where Nadal will play for Spain one last time. “I feel very lucky for all the things I was able to experience”said the Spaniard. It will be the farewell of a great tennis player, a great athlete in many ways.