Some grew up alongside him on court, others enjoyed having him as a peer during their years on Tour (despite often having to endure his feats from the opposite side of the net). Then there are those who dreamed of being a tennis player because of him. Rafael Nadal’s legacy is eternal. His teammates this week at the Davis Cup Finals spoke about what it means to them to be with him as he says his final goodbye.
“I feel lucky to be able to share moments with him on and off the court,” Carlos Alcaraz said of one of his childhood heroes. “I would have loved to have shared so many more [moments], to keep learning from him both on the court and off it. I feel fortunate.”
The current No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings Alcaraz is 17 years younger than the 22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal, but he was lucky enough to face him in three matches on the ATP Tour and, above all, share the same side of the net with him in the doubles at the recent Olympic Games in Paris.
David Ferrer’s relationship with Nadal goes back 20 years. The first match of the 32 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series (26-6 to Nadal) came in Stuttgart in 2004.
“We’re all fortunate to be here for Rafa’s last moment on a tennis court as a friend and a teammate. I’ve shared with him and suffered at his hands on court,” admitted the Spanish captain. “I feel lucky to share these moments with someone who I have special affection for.”
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The luck and fortune referred to by Alcaraz and Ferrer is a feeling shared by Robert Bautista Agut, with whom the Balearic Islander was practising last week in Mallorca, before making the trip to Malaga.
“Rafa has set an example for all of us, we’ve learned so much from him. Fortunately, we’ve shared times both on and off the court, also as Davis Cup teammates,” says the Castellon native, two years Nadal’s junior.
“I feel very lucky to be on the team with him. I’m sure he is very keen to make a contribution and try to help us do well in this Davis Cup,” continued Bautista Agut. “To me having Rafa on this team brings a lot of positive energy, competitiveness, it connects us and gives us all energy. Having him with us is very positive.”
[ATP APP]Someone who knows Nadal well, and has shared many experiences with him since they were children, is Marcel Granollers, the only player on the Spanish team who was born in the same year as him (1986).
“It’s very special to have Rafa with us on the team. Probably for me he was my first teammate on the national team, as we’re the same age. When we were younger we shared a lot of great moments on the Spanish national side between the ages of 14 and 16,” Granollers recalls. “Having him here in his last tournament is amazing for me too.”
Finally, Pedro Martinez had his say: “I haven’t had the fortune to be that close to him. For me, having watched him play since I was little and him being an idol of mine, a role model, and now being here is very special and it’s going to be amazing.”
These are the words of tribute and appreciation from the five men who will be by Nadal’s side in the final week of his career as a professional tennis player.
Editor's note: This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es
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