Rafael Nadal retires from tennis

[kobeunderbite]

Final event will be Davis Cup next month

[zombiesonics]

Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.

[Robceltsfan]

Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.

22 major titles and 70 other titles kinda state otherwise...

[_Vcsgrizzfan_]

Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.

God you can be unbelievably stupid and detached from reality.

[_Vcsgrizzfan_]

One of the true giants in the sport. I was never his biggest fan (he dethroned Federer who I most admired) but he gave us historic performances on the regular. I feel sad he won't give Roland Garros one more go.

[kobeunderbite]

Rafa's legacy is layered and multifaceted. There is a lot to unpack and celebrate.

He was perhaps the greatest teenage phenom in the history of the sport, first announcing himself by beating the world #1 at 17. Youngest man to complete the career slam.

He managed to hold the slam record until his body completely collapsed at Wimbledon 2022 (for the final time), this despite missing something like 15 slams to injury and having to contend with Federer's prime for the first portion of his career and Djokovic for the middle and latter stages.

The clay stuff speaks for itself, easily some of the most untouchable and revered records in sports. 14 Roland Garros titles of course, but the 81-match win streak is also never going to fall.

His rivalry with Federer was the last and perhaps final gasp of tennis to resonate in the mainstream. Wimbledon 2008, the most iconic match in history. One half of the most famous rivalry ever. Phenomenal and cinematic stuff.

But we can't forget the man and athlete himself. Incredibly humble and down-to-earth but with true uniqueness and je ne sais quoi. From the pirate pants and sleeveless tees, the swashbuckling, fist pumping, intensity, lasso forehand, vamosing, tenacity... he was a player who just oozed aura. Maybe the greatest competitor ever, played every point like his last. He was a rockstar with a tennis racket, every draw was infinitely more exciting for his presence. A true 1/1, there will never be another Rafael Nadal.

[Uncontroversial]

Djokovic‘s career is far more impressive

[xer0]

His era was probably peak tennis, loved those duels he had with Federer back in the day.

[zombiesonics]

Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.

22 major titles and 70 other titles kinda state otherwise...

22 majors? That’s so cute. Djokovic has more.

92 career wins? That’s adorable. Federer has more.

And most of Nadal’s major wins came at the French Open since he’s only good on clay. He was a nice background character though.

[kobeunderbite]

His era was probably peak tennis, loved those duels he had with Federer back in the day.

The trilogy of RG 2008, W 2008 and AO 2009 was the peak of modern tennis. Everyone was hanging on those matchups back in the day.

Alcaraz and Sinner have a great rivalry going but they don't come close to capturing the quality or mainstream interest that Nadal and Federer did. Tennis is completely dead in terms of broader cultural relevance and it's never coming back. There will never be another moment as iconic as Nadal dethroning Federer at Wimbledon.

Alcaraz tried to do a Nadal Summer 2008 but dropped the ball at the Olympics. Nadal crushing Federer in straight sets at Roland Garros, beating Djokovic and winning Queens on grass the following week, beating Federer and winning Wimbledon the week after that, then beating Djokovic on HC in Beijing and winning the Olympics over one summer. Just absurd.