Nadal emotional after elimination and tribute in Madrid

NOS Sports•today, 08:57

Rafael Nadal failed to reach the quarter-finals of the masters tournament in Madrid. The Spaniard lost 5-7, 4-6 to the Czech Jiri Lehecka, number 31 in the world.

Afterwards there was a nice tribute for Nadal, who announced that he sees 2024 as his last year as a professional tennis player.

After beating Pedro Cachin in three sets on Monday, Nadal started well on Wednesday evening. He won his first service games and was close to a break several times. In the eleventh game he lost his own serve at love, after which Lehecka finished it off.

The 37-year-old Nadal was immediately 2-0 behind in the second set. He was never able to overcome that deficit. It will probably have been his last match in Madrid.

After the match, a video was played in Madrid, banners came down depicting his five tournament victories in Spain’s capital and he was presented with a special trophy.

Nadal, who played his first tournament since Barcelona last month after injuries, was visibly affected. “It was emotional and unforgettable. But I’m not going to let go of all the emotions yet, because I still want to keep some of that adrenaline,” said the 22-time Grand Slam winner, who also looked ahead to the end of his career in his speech.

“It will be a difficult day, but it is reality. My body and my life have been giving me signals for some time. I was able to say goodbye playing on this court, one of the most emotional courts for me. Madrid is more important at times more than a grand slam for me. The memories from here will always stay with me.”