“It may be my last professional visit to Latin America”, Rafael Nadal on the importance of visiting Argentina for the exhibition event with Casper Ruud and Gabriela Sabatini
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Rafael Nadal
22-time-Grand Slam Champion Rafael Nadal recently hinted towards his retirement plans and even opened up on the importance of visiting Argentina for the exhibition event with Norwegian World No.4 Casper Ruud and Former US Open Champion Gabriela Sabatini. He gave his thoughts on his beloved Latin American fans and how he has always felt at home there. That’s not all, as per the tennis star himself, this might be his last visit to Latin America as a professional hinting about his retirement, eliciting a plethora of reactions online.
In an exclusive interview with infobae, an online Argentine News Paper (translated via Google), Rafeal Nadal briefly talked about his experience in Latin America and how it almost feels like a home to him. He stated, “Well, in the end, you feel a bit like home. I think when you travel to Latin America, either because of the language or because you have many colleagues on the circuit, I have always felt very well received and loved. Therefore, I do not need much preparation. In the end, what I have is a lot of hope, because I haven’t been around for years.
Then he continued about the importance of this visit hinting about his retirement. He noted, “Also, I’m aware that, putting everything in context, I don’t know if I’m active, professionally speaking, It may be the last time I’m out there. Therefore, in this context, it makes my visit very special and emotional, which makes me very excited. So we are going to try to be in the best possible way to leave everything there“
He also had great words for Gabriela Sabatini who was a beauty icon of women’s tennis in the late 1980s and early 1990s as he said, “It will be wonderful to share the track with her, a unique experience that makes me very excited. Gaby is a person admired as a good example throughout the world and, especially, by the Latin public. The reality is that I am excited about him and I hope that everything turns out in the best possible way”
Related: Rafael Nadal admits to his “older body” issues as he dwells on his chances at the Paris Masters
Rafael Nadal – The History Man – Are we finally nearing the end?
Rafael Nadal, probably the greatest player ever to play the sport has come as a force to deal with the supremacy of the swiss legend Roger Federer . At a time when players were shivering to play against the unstoppable maestro, the 19-year-old kid from Mallorca came like a secret project invented in the lab to single-handedly stop him.
Nadal thrashed Federer in straight sets in Miami Open back in 2004 in their first encounter ever. His greatest feat ever came in the 2008 Wimbledon Final in the greatest match of all time where he defeated the Swiss in his favorite tournament in a thrilling match that made it’s mark n the history of the sport. Federer had to wait for a win against Nadal in Slams for 10 years between the 2007 Wimbledon and 2017 Australian Open.
After dealing with Roger Federer, the iconic rivary between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal took over the tennis community. Though Nadal was destroying Djokovic until 2011, the Serbian retaliated in the best possible ways beating Nadal in 3 consecutive Grand Slam finals between the 2011 Wimbledon and the 2012 Australian Open.
Then came the redemption in the 2012 French Open when he finally defeated the Serb in a Slam after 3 failed attempts. He went on to win 6 out of 7 matches against the Serb between the 2012 Monte Carlo Masters and the 2013 US Open – A fairy tale comeback in all senses.
With 22 Grand Slam titles and an Olympic Singles Gold up on his trophy cabinet, Nadal has truly cemented himself as one of the most formidable names in the realm of history. With that being said, the tennis world is not yet ready to see him retire in a time where the wounds of seeing Roger Federer getting retired is not even healed yet.
Also read: Rafael Nadal breaks silence on dethroning Carlos Alcaraz as the World No. 1 before the end of season
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Vipul Payattuparambil
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