Despite Outclassing Roger Federer, 37YO Tennis Veteran Makes a Massive Rafael Nadal Admission

Players enter into the world of tennis with the goal of winning titles. However, some defeats are more valuable than the triumphs. As the 37-year-old Spanish tennis player Pablo Andujar recently announced his retirement, he recalled the most memorable moments from his career. Being on the ATP Tour for more than two decades, Andujar has faced the best players to ever play the sport, including the likes of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. However, when it came to one particular topic, he chose to surprisingly place a defeat at the hands of the ‘King of Clay’ ahead of a historic victory against the Swiss Maestro.

37-year-old Pablo Andujar recently announced his retirement after going through a tough yet amazing journey as a professional tennis player. Turning professional in the year 2003, the Spaniard when onto win four titles on the tour, along with amassing $3,492,570 as prize money. While everyone in the tennis world wanted to hear about some of the best moments in his career, he chose to talk about a defeat against Rafael Nadal. This revelation not only shocked the fans but also made them dig into the details of both matches.

Pablo Andujar counts his defeat against Rafa as one of the best moments of his career

Leaving behind a memorable legacy of over 400 ATP Tour matches, Pablo Andujar lived his dream of playing in major tournaments, tasting victories and facing challenges throughout his professional journey. In a recent interview following his retirement, Andújar shared his heartfelt thoughts about his overall journey as a tennis player. Along with marking several remarkable moments, the tennis star also shared his top three career moments.

He mentioned, in his interview with the ATP Tour, “First, when I won my first ATP tournament in Casablanca; second, the defeat with Rafa [Nadal] in Rio, which I think was the best match of my career; and third, when after the injury of two and a half years without competing, I return and win in Marrakech. Those are the three moments.” (Google Translate).

While fans were quite excited to hear about his memorable moments, what raised their eyebrows was his unexpected choice for the second-best moment – a defeat to none other than Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of Rio de Janeiro in 2014. Along with the presence of this match in his ‘best of’ list, what else raised curiously was the absence of a victory over tennis legend Roger Federer in the Geneva Open on May 18, 2021.

Andújar displayed one of his best performances on the court to overcome Federer in his home country and secure a hard-fought win in one hour and 52 minutes. Although the 37-year-old missed to mention about this historic victory in his post-retirement interview, there were several public interactions where he did talk about it.

When Andujar labelled the match against Federer as an unforgettable moment

In an interview with Punto de Break earlier this year, Pablo Andújar shared his views on the match against Federer in Geneva, Switzerland— a moment that he named as the most memorable in his entire career. As Andujar reminisced about the glorious moment, he expressed, “The match with Federer, that is an impressive moment in my career, especially because it was at the end and because I had never played against Federer. Playing against him was already a dream, beating him was like a double dream.”

ALSO READ: 10 Years After Thrashing Tennis’ Anti-doping Rules, Novak Djokovic Finds a Similar Fate as Bizarre Davis Cup Story Gets Exposed

The Spanish tennis star went on to highlight the significance of this victory as he mentioned, “[As far as wins, this is] number one for sure. To win a tournament could be more emotional, but this is something I think I will remember my whole life.”

Despite omitting this historical triumph from the top three moments of his career, it’s clear that Andújar undoubtedly considers the match as one of the most memorable ones in his journey.

Watch This Story: Exploring Dominic Thiem the Person Like Never Before