Rafael Nadal announces retirement, Cristiano Ronaldo pays tribute; ‘ Hoped this day would never come,’ says Roger Federer. Men’s singles raking one Jannik Sinner and world number two in the female division ons Jabeur acknowledged that Rafael Nadal had a huge imprint on his own profession.
22- time grand slam winner Nadal announced that he is going to retire just after Davis cups finals which is in next month November. Rafael Nadal who is playing since 2001, took to his social media platform to announce that the decision to call it quits was owing to the determined injury problems over the last few years.
Rafael wrote on social media. ” The reality is that it has been some hard years, especially the last two years. I don’t think I have been able to play without limitation.”
Just after announcement on social media, social media has been pouring with tributes for Rafael Nadal including from his long-time contestant Roger Federer.
Roger Federer wrote on Twitter X ” 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,”
In 2022, Roger Federer himself had retired from professional sport after his final Laver cup doubles match with Rafael Nadal.
Jannik sinner wrote ” It’s tough news for, I think, all the tennis world , and not only the tennis world. What I can say, I was very lucky to get to know him also, like you know, person’s-wise, and he is an unbelievable person,”
He added ” We all saw how good he has been as a player, the lessons he taught us, the young players, how to behaves on the court, how to handle situations on the court, tough situations. He gave to all of us a lot of emotions when we saw him playing,”.
Jabeur twitted ” Thank you Rafa for inspiring me and all of us. You will be missed,”
Nick Kyrgios 2022 Wimbledon men’s single finalist also lavished praise on Nadal, sharing that he wished to play one last time against the Rafael Nadal.