The emotions haven’t sunk in yet, have they? After months on the sidelines, Rafael Nadal finally announced the news about his retirement, putting several rumors to rest. The 22-time Grand Slam champion will feature in the Davis Cup Finals for Spain, which will be his final tournament. Although the end was imminent, the tennis world couldn’t believe that Nadal had reached the end of his career, with some even requesting him to perform a U-turn. Amid this, Coco Gauff’s ex-coach, Brad Gilbert, had a special tribute for Nadal.

While Nadal is a legend on the ATP Tour, Gilbert is a legendary coach, guiding renowned players like Andy Roddick and Andy Murray, apart from Gauff. During the course of his coaching career, Gilbert has come up against Nadal several times, but he had only one thing to admire, and that was Nadal’s greatness.

Taking to Twitter, he said, “Vamos-Rafa @RafaelNadal is everything you want in a athlete tennis player person, your competitive spirit and class on the courts simply off the charts. it’s has been absolutely awesome to watch you your entire career.”

As Nadal battled injuries this year, Gilbert has been very vocal about Nadal’s comeback from injuries. Back in July this year, Gilbert revealed, “He will probably never reach his best level again, but I think above all else, every athlete wants to be able to retire in his own way. He wants to be and decide that maybe it’s time to stop. He’s had so many injuries in the last two years that he probably hasn’t had a period where he really felt healthy.”

Amid his retirement updates, Nadal also thanked everyone who had been a pillar of support for him during his illustrious career. Among them were his wife and mother.

Rafael Nadal gets emotional while thanking his family

More often than not, we have witnessed Nadal’s wife, Maria ‘Xisca’ Perello, cheering for her husband from the stands during Nadal’s matches. Additionally, she traveled with him at tournaments all across the globe, which enabled Nadal to be at home away from home. Further, Nadal’s mother was also a major contributor to Nadal’s career during his early days.

As a result of announcing the news of his retirement, Nadal thanked the two of them, saying, “My family is everything to me. My mother, I think she has made all the sacrifices she had to make so that we could always have everything. My wife, Mery, we’ve been together for 19 years. Thank you for everything you have done. I think you’ve been the perfect travel companion during all these years of my career.”

Despite breaking the news about his retirement, Nadal hopes to have one last laugh before he ends his career. As a result, he will be looking up for support from his compatriot, Carlos Alcaraz, as they represent Spain in the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga from November 19-21. Can Nadal end his career on a high? Let us know your views in the comments below.