Spanish Tennis great Rafael Nadal officially announced his retirement on Thursday. In a video message released on Thursday, Nadal revealed that he will retire after competing in the Davis Cup finals in Malaga this November. Watch our conversation with Editor of Mykhel Avinash Sharma
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#RafaelNadalRetirement #RafaelNadal #AFP #DavisCup #Tennis #RafaelNadalNews #RogerFederer #RafaelNadalCareer
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00:00Hello and welcome to this episode where we are talking about Rafael Nadal who has just
00:08announced his retirement. I'm your host Riya and with me is the editor of mykhel.com, Avinash.
00:17Avinash, first thing, we all know Rafael is like, there's no Grand Slam that he has not
00:24won. 22 Grand Slams. I mean, it's a huge number. How will people take his retirement? Because
00:33there was no sign, you know, we all came by a surprise of his retirement. What do you
00:37have to say?
00:38Well, Riya, I mean, yeah, the timing could be called as a surprise, but it was a long
00:44time coming. Because we've seen Rafael Nadal dominate the courts. But injuries have plagued
00:51him. He's already 37, 38. So, in a competitive sport like tennis, where the wear and tear
00:57is, I mean, it's to the next level and you're flag bearer of the sport for more than almost
01:05two decades means something. And we were expecting it. We've seen a few legends of the game bid
01:14goodbye. We've seen Serena Williams bid goodbye. We saw Novak Djokovic carrying and he's also
01:21entering into the dusk of his career. Roger Federer retired a couple of years back. So,
01:29and if you talk about the big three or the big four of tennis, if you include Serena
01:34Williams into it, because she's been one of the greatest tennis players in the history
01:37of the game. So, she also falls into the same category. But having said that, if you look
01:44at the way Rafael Nadal has been doing things off the court and the injuries, as I was just
01:52mentioning about them, they have kept him away from the court off plate. We saw him
01:58into action during the Paris Olympics at the Rola Garros. Everybody was expecting him to
02:04end his career on a high with the second Paris Olympic or Olympic medal, which didn't happen.
02:10He even participated in the doubles as well. But that also didn't materialize the way all of his
02:16fans across the globe wanted him to. But I personally feel it's a sad, it's an emotional
02:25moment for all the tennis fans. But it was on the, I mean, I think it was going to happen
02:34sooner rather than later.
02:36Right, right. Absolutely right. I think, I mean, this can be a very controversial question
02:41to ask you. But if you have to choose among the top three, and we know what top three
02:47we are talking about, who top three we are talking about, of course, the Federer, Djokovic
02:53and Nadal. Who is your favorite tennis player who has been your favorite?
02:58Well, Rhea, and that's what the emotional moment comes into play. Because I have always
03:02admired Rafael Nadal more than anyone else. I mean, I've had debates with my friends.
03:08One of the biggest reasons for my adoration for Rafael Nadal was because the French Open
03:16was happening, it used to happen in the summer, during the summer break that we used to get
03:22in the May and June season. So you actually get to watch him play. When it comes to the
03:30Australian Open or the US Open, I mean, you just don't get a lot of time to watch it because
03:36of the time differences. The zones are entirely different. So I myself was exposed to a lot
03:42of Rafael Nadal via French Open. So I've seen him do those duels, those battles on the clay
03:49court and playing on clay court looks, I mean, you can sit and watch more than anything,
03:56any Grand Slam across the world. I think the most fascinating aspect of any Grand Slam
04:02is other courts and the clay court would attract you more than anyone else because it gives
04:08you a rusty feeling, the mud, the clay, which we all talk about. It's there for everyone
04:14to see. You're playing in your vials, the clothes get dirty, more in the red clay, dust.
04:22There you can see Rafael Nadal just weaving his magic across the court. I mean, he was
04:28just electrifying across his career. Even during the last stage of his career, you can see him
04:35toiling so hard. And that's what made Rafael Nadal such a phenomenon.
04:43Indeed, that's why he's called the king of clay.
04:46Yeah, and 14 Grand Slams, has anyone ever thought of winning at one particular venue?
04:51Let me correct you, 14 French Open and 22 Grand Slams.
04:55Yeah, so 14 Grand Slams at a particular venue is a no mean feat. You cannot be as consistent
05:02as Rafael Nadal. He's played 18 finals. He's won 14 of them, which speak what character he was
05:09made up of, what mud or what soil he was made up of. And that didn't just stop him. He even won
05:16many, many tournaments, ATP tournaments and other competitions, which were played on clay
05:22courts across Europe, especially in Spain and the surrounding Parisian courts.
05:30Right. But we are forgetting about one very important tournament, which we just saw very
05:35recently, Paris Olympics and the Olympics. Nadal even has singles and double Olympic gold medal
05:42in his name, which is something even Roger Federer could not achieve.
05:46Actually, Rhea, the best thing is his medal, the singles medal, which came in the 2008 Beijing
05:54Olympics in China. And at the time of Beijing Olympics, he was just rising through the ranks.
06:03Yes, he was a household name, but yet he had to prove himself because there were the likes of
06:11Roger Federer, Andrea Gassi and the rest. And yet winning a medal in Beijing and then
06:19sort of just the rivalry between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, it just kept improving and it just
06:28kept reaching to another level. And then in the later part of his career, we saw those intense
06:35battles on courts of different variety between Djokovic and Nadal. And the term Joker versus
06:43Gold, it became, I mean, it was most talked about. And whenever you saw Djokovic and Nadal on court,
06:52you were, I mean, it was an enticing contest. Of course, of course, absolutely. But there was this
06:58very interesting tournament, which, you know, lasted for good 40 minutes, four hours, actually,
07:05four hours and 40 minutes, my mistake, four hours and 40 minutes being on the court, playing with
07:11all energy. I mean, how much does it take for a sportsman like him to put in so much effort,
07:18you know, being consistent on the court, running here and there, not missing the shot? How much
07:23does it take for a sportsman to deliver that? And that's why tennis becomes one of the most
07:28grueling sports. It takes a lot of energy and effort. And when you are playing for more than
07:34four hours or almost five hours, it means the wear and tear is massive. And yet, there's a
07:44hunger to prove yourself. Every time you're trying to look to outplay your opponent
07:52with the shots, the variety of shots that you have in your arsenal. And one of the best matches
07:59the game has ever seen is that 2008 Wimbledon final between Federer and Nadal. And it definitely
08:06goes as one of the greatest ever matches. And there's a documentary as well. And if our viewers
08:14want to watch and relive that great match, it's available on YouTube, on Wimbledon's YouTube page
08:20as well. You can watch it there. And that's where the rivalry, the seeds of rivalry, I can say so,
08:28this was sown. Because back in 2008, they both were young bloods, almost identical age groups,
08:37they were both. But Nadal had created this aura around him because he's done tremendously well at
08:44the junior level as well. So when he progressed, when he graduated to the senior level, the pro
08:51senior levels, he was already a force to reckon with. And from there on, because we've seen
08:59Federer do something magical on Wimbledon. He's won it more than six times. So that also makes
09:08the battle between these two greats so intense and interesting at the same time. But Nadal,
09:17if you just look at his career, take a seat and observe, he has always been a champion on the
09:22clay court. But that didn't mean that he was restricted to the clay court alone. He's won
09:28Australian Open, he's won US Open, he's won the French Open and the Wimbledon. So he completed
09:34the career slam at a very early age of his career. And add to that the two Olympic medals,
09:42which even as you just mentioned, even the great Roger Federer could not achieve.
09:48One more interesting point that I would want to talk to you about,
09:52that Nadal is the only player who plays with the left hand.
09:55Yeah, he's a southpaw. And that's something you just don't see on a regular basis in tennis. And
10:05if you just look at him play, it looks like a lioness on the hunt. He gives you those vibes.
10:12And that's why we've seen so many brands going after him, splurging millions and millions of
10:20dollars year after year. And that's why he was one of the greatest and one of the most sought
10:26after athletes in the world as well. And the hunger to excel at every instance and every
10:34match that he used to play made him what he is today.
10:38Absolutely. Absolutely correct, Avinash. One last thing to ask, David Cupps is going to be the last
10:44where we are going to see him play on the ground with that same intensity that he always comes with.
10:49November, in the month of November, it's hardly like a month, not even month, I would say just
10:5410-15 more days to go. So as a Nadal fan, how emotional will it be for you?
11:01Actually, the best thing is he's won five Davis Cup titles for Spain as well. So
11:09apart from his personal achievements, because tennis is a very individual sport,
11:14and you don't have to worry a lot about your destination. But winning five Davis Cup titles
11:21means that he always loved to play for his country as well. And the Olympic medals just
11:26add to that tally. So that tells how he loved representing Spain as well. And he's traveled to
11:36India, he's been the official ambassador to India of La Liga, the Spanish league, the football league
11:44that is in Spain. So when it comes to promoting Spain to Indian audience, I mean, something like
11:52a brand like La Liga could not even think of someone better than Rafael Nadal. So that tells
11:59what sort of impact Rafael Nadal has had on the psyche of Indian audience as well. And coming
12:05back to the emotional moment, let's go back to two years back when Rafael Nadal was playing Davis Cup
12:12and Roger Federer was supposed to retire after playing Davis Cup. It was his last appearance
12:19for his country. And professionally as well, there were tears in Rafael Nadal's eyes,
12:26there were tears in Roger Federer's eyes, and there were tears in everybody else who was sitting
12:32with these two living legends of the game. So definitely it is going to be another emotional
12:38moment for all the fans who will be gathering up in that match between Spain and Malaga. And
12:45every eyes will be moist when Rafael Nadal will finally bid adieu.
12:52That's so true. And you know, just talking about you know, that he leaving the game gives me a
12:58goosebumps and because he has given tremendous, you know, good matches. It's pleasure for our
13:06eyes as viewers as you know, spectators to watch them play with so much of fears and action and
13:13energy. I mean, all of us are going to miss him a lot. And definitely even
13:19I think not just fans, the sport is going to miss Rafael Nadal, the character of Rafael Nadal,
13:25the way he carried himself, he is a great athlete, and an even better human being. And that's what
13:32sets athletes from legends. I mean, you can be a good athlete, but you can only be a legend if you
13:38do something equally better or even better when you are off the field. And Rafael Nadal has done
13:48more than what he was supposed to do as an athlete. So he's contributed, he's given back to
13:53the society, he's given back to the sport. And Spain is certainly going to miss him a lot.
14:00Good thing about for Spain is that after king of clay, there's a prince of clay as well. Alcaraz
14:06is Carlos Alcaraz, he's just catching up, he's rising, he's going to be the next best big thing
14:13in tennis. And we've already seen glimpses of his brilliance at the 2024 Paris,
14:21the French Open final against Novak Djokovic, where he defeated Djokovic once again to win
14:28two back to back French Open titles. So Spanish tennis are definitely in good hands. But the
14:37legacy of Rafael Nadal is going to last forever. There's a void which I believe is never going to
14:45be filled. That's so true. The void will not be, you know, it will not be filled. And of course,
14:51not everyone becomes the king of clay. We will definitely miss Rafael, but our eyes will be on
14:59the Davis Cup as it will, you know, will be a very memorial and very sentimental event for all the
15:06tennis fan watching him for one more time. And one last time on ground. And finally, you know,
15:13bidding him adieu that he deserves actually. Thank you so very much, Avinash for talking to us.
15:20And you guys are watching One India. I'm Rhea, signing off.