On October 9, Rafael Nadal announced his retirement from professional tennis. Though we knew this day would eventually come, none of us were truly ready for it. The Davis Cup Finals in November will mark his final time on the court, closing the chapter on an extraordinary career.
This isn’t just the end of an era in professional tennis; it leaves millions of fans, myself included, looking back down memory lane, full of admiration and gratitude.
It was the summer of 2006. I was an 11-year-old boy from a small town in northern India. Tennis was a distant sport, something I only saw glimpses of in the small corners of the sports section in our Hindi newspapers. It was a Sunday, and the looming thought of school the next day had already begun to creep in.
To make the most of my evening, I asked my mother for an early dinner, because dinner meant I could watch TV. On our black-and-white Doordarshan TV, I noticed they were showing the Wimbledon final instead of the usual Sunday program.
The first few minutes were spent just trying to figure out the scoring. Once I figured that out, I focused on the players. I had read about both Federer and Nadal in those small newspaper columns but had never seen them play. As a devoted fan of Rahul Dravid, I was instantly drawn to Nadal’s intensity and his relentless, never-give-up attitude.
Maybe I couldn’t fully appreciate the beauty of Federer’s shots on my grainy TV screen, but I loved Nadal’s fighting spirit. Though he lost in four sets, my love for Nadal and the sport of tennis was born that day.
A year later, it was Wimbledon final Sunday again, and I was excited to see the Spaniard and Federer back in the final. This time, it was close, but Nadal again lost, this time in five sets. I was heartbroken for him. Another year passed, and once again, they met in the final. Nadal started like a dream, winning the first two sets. Was it finally his time? Roger fought back, winning the next two sets, and as a Rafa fan, I braced myself for another heartbreak.
My father turned off the TV as it was too late, sparing me the pain of watching Nadal lose again. The next day, I went to school without checking the news. At lunchtime, I sneaked into the school library to look at the newspaper. I couldn’t believe my eyes—he won! Nadal had claimed the fifth set!
This epitomizes who Rafael Nadal is—someone who will do whatever it takes, no matter the cost, leaving every ounce of himself on the court. That day, I became a lifelong Rafael Nadal fan. I even made a promise to myself: if I ever started earning, I’d start playing tennis.
A decade later, after getting my first job and settling into a new city, I searched for tennis courts nearby. After a few tries, I finally found one and began taking lessons. In my first class, the coach noted my forehand swing and asked, “Why does your racket swing end behind your head?” I wanted to say, “Because that’s what Rafa does,” but I kept it to myself.
In 2018, when the Spaniard played Dominic Thiem in the US Open, he lost the first set 0-6 but still went on to win the match. I remember sitting in a cab on the way to work, telling my flatmates how amazing the match was, though they didn’t share my excitement.
Watching that match taught me an important lesson: no matter how dire the situation, if you give it your all, you can turn it around. In 2019, against Daniil Medvedev at the ATP Finals, Rafa was down breakpoints at 0-4 in the third set. It looked like all hope was lost, but he clawed his way back to win the set 7-6, showing that indomitable spirit yet again.
I still remember a young girl who practiced on the same court as me. She once commented, “The way you practice, you’re going to hurt yourself.” I replied, “It’s fine, That’s why we play, isn’t it? To give it everything.” I wanted to echo Rafa’s famous sentiment: “I don’t know if I will reach that level, but I am going to die for it.” Sometimes my tennis partners would ask, “Why do you chase down every ball like it’s match point?” My answer was simple: As a Rafa fan, I couldn’t help it.
Nadal’s brilliance in Australian Open 2022 final
The 2022 Australian Open final was a special one for me. I watched it with my nephew, whom I had also turned into a Rafa fan with my countless stories about Nadal. When Rafa was down two sets and facing breakpoints in the third, my friend texted, “And Rafa’s done.” Hours later, that same friend had to eat his words. My nephew and I were jubilant; that may have been one of my happiest moments as a Nadal fan.
In his career, Nadal mirrored his game, fighting till his last breath. He made countless comebacks after what seemed like career-ending injuries. After all those injuries in 2009, 2012, 2016, and again in 2021, he didn’t just return to the court; he conquered it. Dylan Thomas’s words perfectly capture Nadal’s spirit:
“Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Do not go gentle into that good night.”
As he steps away from professional tennis, let us wish Rafa and his family a joyful, fulfilling life post-retirement. Vamos!!
