Madrid Open: Rafael Nadal’s Farewell Leaves Tennis Legends Heartbroken as Boris Becker and Gabriela Sabatini Share Emotional Reactions

The ‘King of Clay‘ bids an emotional farewell to his fans in Madrid. A talented young Czech tennis star, Jiri Lehecka, put an end to the amazing story of the five-time champion at the Madrid Open. He defeated Nadal by 7-5,6-4 in a two-hour-long battle. This was perhaps the one last time Nadal fans saw their superstar in action on Madrid soil. As Rafael Nadal walked off the court, the tournament organizers and staff, including tournament director Feliciano Lopez, formed a guard of honor to send him on his way into the tunnel. The crowd chanted his name, and even on social media, a flurry of heartwarming reactions came in for the tennis legend.

Argentine tennis star Diego Schwartzman shared a story on his Instagram account about his love for Rafael Nadal. He posted a picture of his laptop screen showing Rafa with a mic in his hand (probably during his on-court speech after the match). And he attached three ‘heart’ emojis under Nadal’s name. Even German tennis legend Boris Becker shared a few glimpses of Rafael Nadal bidding goodbye to his fans in Madrid by waving his hand towards the crowd. He posted two video clips on his Instagram stories and captioned one of them, “Just Rafa…“.

While in the other, he wrote, “Emotional scenes from Madrid!“. In the second story, Rafael Nadal is seen being felicitated by the tournament director with a special trophy for his incredible contributions to the tournament and the sport as a whole. Nadal has played a total of 59 matches and won five titles here in Madrid. Even the 38-year-old Spanish former tennis player, Pablo Andujar, gave his reactions to this emotional farewell of the Spanish tennis legend in Madrid. He tweeted, “Gracias Rafa.”

Former tennis player Gabriela Sabatini from Argentina also shared her emotions after seeing the Spanish ‘King’ play his last game on the red soil of Madrid! She tried to express her emotions by putting up two emojis.

While Juan Monaco (an Argentine former tennis player) commented, “Rafa,” along with a ‘heart’ emoji beside his name, on a tweet. Rafael Nadal’s craze isn’t just restricted to fans but is widely spread across the tennis fraternity.

The Spanish professional tennis player and coach, Fernando Verdasco, also came up with a tweet in Spanish for Rafael Nadal. He thanked Rafael Nadal for being the “GREATEST.”

Five banners were unfurled inside the stadium to mark the former world number one’s five titles in the Spanish capital. The fans gave him a standing ovation and chanted, ‘Si, see puede’ (Yes we can) ahead of the final game. Nadal’s wife, Maria Francisca Perello and his sister, Maribel, were in tears. But the tennis star refused to cry in front of his home crowd, stating he didn’t want to cry because he wasn’t retiring yet. What did Rafael Nadal say in his speech after the match?

“Thank you”: Rafael Nadal bids farewell to the Madrid crowd

During his on-court speech after the match, Nadal said, “It’s been a very special week for me, very positive in many ways, both personally and for my tennis.” He further went on to add, “I had the chance to play again on court. A few weeks ago, two days before Barcelona, I didn’t know if I would compete in an official match again. And I’ve now played two weeks. It’s been unforgettable.”

Rafael Nadal then reflected a bit on his memories from his previous visits to Madrid, stating, “The only thing I can say is ‘thank you’. It’s been an incredible journey that started when I was little.” He first came to Madrid in 2003 and the rest has been history. He thanked everyone for their unconditional support over the years. Nadal believes these meant more to him than winning any Grand Slam titles. Share your thoughts on this amazing journey of Rafael Nadal in Madrid.