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Every word from Rafael Nadal’s press conference after emotional Madrid Open farewell
Madrid, Spain. 30th Apr, 2024. Rafael Nadal (SPA) vs Jiri Lehecka (RCH) during Mutua Madrid Open Masters Series Madrid 2024 in Madrid on Tuesday, 30 April 2024
Rafael Nadal speaks after his Madrid Open farewell.
Rafael Nadal has reflected on an emotional farewell at the 2024 Madrid Open after playing what was likely the final match of his career in his home country.
The tennis great revealed he was moved by the send off he received, but explained he “did not want to make a sea of tears” as he has “not yet finished” his tennis journey.
Nadal was defeated 7-5, 6-4 by Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round of the Madrid Open on Tuesday and was celebrated in a touching on-court ceremony after the match.
The legendary Spaniard was presented with a trophy, while banners showcased his finest moments at the Masters 1000 event in the Spanish capital.
The 37-year-old explained he hopes to feature at the upcoming Italian Open in Rome and he will then confirm whether he will compete at the 2024 French Open.
Here is everything Nadal said in his press conference after his last match at the Madrid Open.
Q. What does it mean for you not to play again in Madrid… or in Spain?
NADAL: It’s emotional, of course. The people of Madrid have never failed me, what they have made me feel throughout these years is something that will stay with me forever. I have enjoyed it: three weeks ago I didn’t know if I would play an official match again. This is totally real… and I have been able to say goodbye here on the court and with a fairly decent level. For me, it means a lot to have been able to play here, in every sense: on a tennis level, on an emotional level. .. for me, this city and Spain have always meant support and energy that has helped me decisively.
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Today, I take away from here a very beautiful energy, an unforgettable memory. I will never have the opportunity to thank you enough for what people have made me feel. I don’t know if it will be the last time I play in Spain, I don’t know if there may be any other option, it’s something I haven’t considered, although it’s probably like that. There is a Davis Cup ahead, which may be ruled out in a very high percentage of my calendar, but not 100%, you never know what can happen in the future. If this has been the last time I have played in my country, it has been a great memory.
Q. What do you feel when you are aware that you are beginning to approach the end of your career?
NADAL: Yes, I have been moved, inside, although I have endured (laughs). I did not want to make a sea of tears, although I have held back for a moment. I have finished my journey here in Madrid, but I have not yet finished my journey with a racket in hand. It has been an emotional night, to say the least, but perhaps it is not the time to let go of everything I have inside at the level of emotions. I have a long way to go and I still don’t want to let go of all the adrenaline. Having taken steps forward, I have no doubts, and now it’s time to see if I can consolidate those advances. I arrived here with doubts in every way and I leave here with fewer doubts. It has been an incredibly positive week, really.
Today, I played a duel in which my rival was at a very high level and, even so, I was competitive. I had some opportunities, small ones, in the first set, in a section in which I was playing better than him, and then it was not possible, he was very inspired and I congratulate him for that, but I think the first set was my best set since I’ve competed again. In everything: leg activity, ability to turn the ball with the drive, both with the cross and the parallel, also at the positioning level. Then at the muscular level, at the end of the first set, I did have a small drop, although it is logical after yesterday’s game. I am satisfied with the week in every way. Much better than I could have expected.
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Q. What doubts have you dispelled? Will you play at Roland Garros?
NADAL: I don’t know what can happen, but now I have four games in Madrid behind me. This is the reality. Today I was more muscularly tired, yes, but it is nothing serious. I have endured several hours of competition at the highest possible level, and that’s the most important thing. At the tennis level, I also leave happier than I arrived, although if I don’t have the confidence that my body can handle tennis, it’s impossible for this to work. If my body can handle it well, no. I know what can happen, and although it is difficult to imagine great things today, I stand by what I said the other day: in sports things change quickly and I am doing things in the most prudent way I can, no. I know how to do it better. About Paris… after Rome I will say. I understand your urgency and I would also like to have a clear vision of what is going to happen, but since I don’t have it today, I can’t tell you more. I hope to be able to play in Rome, if there are no setbacks, and I’m going there with the hope of continuing to evolve.
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Q. Balance of what you have done in Madrid: has it compensated for all the previous suffering?
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NADAL: It always pays off, and even if I hadn’t arrived it also pays off. In the end, it pays off for me because if not, I’m not at peace with myself. This, for me, is a vital basic principle: returning home with the feeling that I did everything what is in my power to make everything go well. This has been basic since I started my career. Then, you lose, you win, and it is part of our world, but the feeling of making an effort to make things go well is something that I have taken almost to the extreme in my career and, in the processes of recovery from injuries, I try to make it that way as well. I have been fortunate to have very suitable people by my side in all facets, so that in difficult moments I have always received the support of the people around me. If you add to that the love of the people, it always helps to want to try a little more. I have always done it and, well, here I am.
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Q. What would Rafael Nadal, who was beginning his career, have said when he saw the tribute that, 20 years later, he has received today?
NADAL: As you can imagine, an 18-year-old is not prepared to visualise a future like the one I have had. It is always the same, when you see things today and look back, of course the perspective is completely different. When you live that moment, when I was 18, for me what meant everything was winning that final [in Madrid in 2005], for me it was all about winning that final and I didn’t think about the afterlife. That final was the beginning of many of the problems I have had in my sports career (laughs), but it is one of those finals that I remember with the most emotion and fondness of my entire career. The next day I could hardly even walk, it being the first major injury I have had in my career, the foot injury. I broke my scaphoid in the middle of the game, the next day I couldn’t even walk.
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The circle here is closed, without a doubt. I never imagined at that time that I would be playing here at the age of 38. At that time, we all envisioned a short and very complicated career and, however, it has been complicated at times, but much less than what was anticipated. With all those problems I have had, there is not one iota of complaint about anything. I say it from the heart: the problems that I have had throughout my career in terms of injuries, although they have given me a significant amount of suffering, have given me the ability to value all the good things that have happened to me, and that is a beautiful thing. Because of the injuries I have been able to especially value everything that has happened to me. I have had the ability, to a large extent, to value and enjoy everything that has happened to me.
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Q. Seeing his family crying in the middle of saying goodbye, people being emotional… what does that generate in Rafa?
NADAL: It gives me great personal satisfaction. When people get emotional, they don’t just get emotional about the sporting issue, it will be because I also assume that I have done things well, not just with the racket in hand. I hope that I have behaved appropriately almost always, although we all make mistakes and have better and worse moments. I have always tried to be respectful, kind and serve people in the best way I knew how. I have also tried to have appropriate behaviour on the court and I think I have succeeded for the most part of the times. That the people in my family cry… it is normal. Even if I had behaved horribly, I suppose they would also cry, because they have a different affection for me than the people around me.
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