2024 was crazy. From the Paris Olympics to the US elections, people have continued searching for the most trending highlights. With the year on the brink of conclusion, Google released a recap showcasing the most searched topics and occurrences. It was quite natural for Rafael Nadal to make it to that list. And if for reasons you don’t know already, the Spaniard stunned the world with his shock retirement decision this season.

The Spanish generational talent was far from his prime for the past two years. His illustrious two-decade-long journey on the tour was already marred with several injuries when a final blow to the knee at the Australian Open in 2022 severed his chances to compete. Despite extensive rehabilitation, Rafa couldn’t restore his formidability like before. His quest for a gold medal at the Olympics alongside compatriot Carlos Alcaraz wasn’t a success either and as time passed, the former World No. 1 decided best to stop.

Nadal aired his retirement plans in October and confirmed his final professional appearance at the Davis Cup Final 8 in Malaga. While he hoped to decorate his nation with the annual group event’s title for the last time, Rafa experienced major resistance while doing so. He lost to Botic van de Zandschulp, the Dutchman who previously made waves for slaying Alcaraz at the US Open. However, as Spain’s Davis Cup run in the last eight, the Spaniard received a comforting farewell from his home crowd and fellow players.

His arch-rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic penned heartfelt notes for Rafa, while the crowd in Malaga chanted his name as the 22-time Major winner walked the court in a professional capacity for the final time. The bitter-sweet update, in turn, elicited heartpouring reactions worldwide. With some curious to learn about the Spanish legend amid retirement news, his name trended on the search engine giant. Subsequently, Google uploaded moments that gained the most traction this year on YouTube and added Rafa to the merged clips. As of now, the video has already amassed over 5M views and you can best believe that the count will increase.

The former world No. 1 got rich tributes from the community. Before drawing the curtains on his career, Rafa reserved a few words for his admirers, family, and friends at Malaga.

Rafael Nadal wishes to be remembered as a ‘good person from a small village’

Spanish superstar Rafael Nadal is the embodiment of rising to the top from a place of no privilege, the only support system being his family. The 38-year-old entered the tour with his chiseled abs and toned biceps as he finessed the top talents in the sport. While his accomplishments aren’t unknown to fans, Rafa doesn’t wanna be remembered like that.

While addressing the crowd in Malaga during his farewell ceremony, the Spaniard said: “The titles, the numbers are there, so people probably know that, but the way that I would like to be remembered more is like a good person, from a small village in Mallorca. I had the luck that I had my uncle who was a tennis coach in my village when I was a very small kid, and a great family that supports me in every moment.”

The world wished that Nadal never retired, no one wanted the charm he brought to the sport gone. However, natural aging could only be dodged for so long. Luckily for fans, Rafa can still make guest appearances at top-tier events and maybe even showcase his athleticism again during exhibition event commitments in the future. Do you foresee Nadal featuring in exhibitions anytime soon?