By Paula Candiles Puente

Some say it’s Roger Federer, others say it’s Novak Djokovic, but true tennis fans admit that it has always been and will always be Rafa, Rafael Nadal, the King of Clay. 

He started playing tennis at four years old with his uncle Toni, but his first aspirations were to become a star football player. This desire, inspired by his uncle Miguel Ángel Nadal, who played for FC Barcelona, was soon overshadowed, as he developed into the best tennis player in history. It became clear that this man was born with a racket made to fit his hand. I won’t go over all the awards, medals, and trophies he collected throughout his career because it’s not just the titles that define this great athlete. 

Many tennis fans associate the word “success” with Djokovic, “elegance” with Federer, and with Nadal, also known as “The Matador,” they think “effort.” 

The Spanish tennis player has been injured around 29 times throughout his career, many more than Djokovic and Federer combined. These injuries kept him sidelined for almost 2,000 days. However, he managed to overcome them successfully, with effort, discipline, and a stronger will to win than he had before being injured. One of his best shows of grit happened when he won his last Grand Slam in Australia. After half a year of injuries, he fought his way back from a two-set deficit in the final against Russian Daniil Medvedev, becoming the first player in the Open Era to make such a comeback in the Australian Open final and the sixth to do so in a Grand Slam final.

Rafa Nadal is more than just an athlete; he is an inspiration and motivation for all those kids who dream of being someone. He is the clear example of overcoming obstacles. He once said a phrase that went: “Even if the result is negative, the effort is always worth it.” This phrase has echoed in the minds of thousands of children who hope and wish their dreams come true. Like Carlos Alcaraz, who dedicated a post on Instagram thanking Nadal for the opportunity to play with his idol: “Rafa is my idol, he is one of the main reasons why I wanted to become a professional tennis player.” Many other stars and high profile officials left their thanks and farewells on Nadal’s retirement announcement video, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Roger Federer, Thomas Bach, and Florentino Pérez. 

If I had to find the words to say goodbye to this legend, I wouldn’t finish even in an eternity. I can only thank an athlete who changed the way thousands of people around the world, and Spaniards in particular, see the world. Today, they say goodbye not only to the greatest Spanish athlete of all time but to the person who represents what it means to be Spanish: a person with discipline, character, and above all, a good heart. 

Goodbye, Rafa, and thank you for everything.

Featured image courtesy of Enric Fontcuberta via La Razón