We’ve all been eager to honor Rafa and his stellar career – home to 22 Majors – and weirdly, still in disbelief. No one wants the ‘King of Clay’ gone. On October 10, Rafael Nadal shocked fans, announcing that he would withdraw from the ATP circuit and bid farewell at the Davis Cup Final 8 in Malaga, Spain. The former world-ranking leader couldn’t “play without limitations” after a painful history of injuries and a final blow to the knee in Melbourne in 2023.

As his retirement nears, emotions have been running wild. While players and fans continuously pour their emotions in honor of Nadal’s legacy, we’ve got our hands on something truly magnificent. The Davis Cup Final 8 and the Billie Jean King Cup share the same stadium in Malaga. And luckily, they’ve found the perfect way to pay credits to the veteran. Rafa was recently honored at the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Riyadh, where the authorities parted the Spanish star with a real-life-size gold racket, a cool $270,000 memorabilia weighing just shy of 3 kgs.

Now, just moments ago, a verified user on X uploaded a snapshot of the stadium in Malaga, showcasing that the arena was draped in pure admiration of Rafa. The venue is decorated with a gigantic banner that reads, “Gracias Rafa”, with a photo of Nadal between the two letters. Truly iconic.

Though Rafa’s on-court appearance has ceased, his retirement has elicited the media to dig deep into his poignant take on struggles, remarks on his road to glory, and of course, a recap of his rivalry with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Discontent with his inevitable farewell, Nole urged his Spaniard arch-nemesis to reconsider retirement. The Serb said, “Don’t leave tennis man, stay a little bit longer, stay with us”. He’s not the only one pleading. Casper Ruud also feels the same.

Casper Ruud reiterates Novak Djokovic’s sentimental request to Rafael Nadal

Norwegian Casper Ruud has clicked with some of his best form at the ATP Finals. He thrashed third-seed Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets in the round-robin opener of the year-end championship. While he largely dominated the match, an out-of-sorts Alcaraz struggled to match the pace due to a concerning health issue. Later, the former reserved a few words for his 2022 French Open title clash rival, Rafael Nadal.

Reiterating his Serbian counterpart, Novak Djokovic’s thoughts, the former World No. 2 commented on Rafa’s rethinking of his retirement plans. “I kind of think Novak said it well during the Saudi tournament. Please don’t retire yet because you have so many fans around the world.”

Sadly for the Norwegian, he won’t make it to the Spanish superstar’s farewell in Malaga. After a hectic touring commitment, Ruud is likely focused on his shortcomings. He is due to face Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev in the remaining group-stage matches in Turin.