Feliciano López Reflects on Retirement, Nadal’s Return, and the GOAT Debate in Tennis

Feliciano López is already a retired tennis player. Pronouncing these words is strange: he was one of the longest-lived men on the circuit, someone who saw multitudes of generations pass while increasing his tally of Grand Slams played. Few better than him to talk about Rafael Nadal or the GOAT debate.

The restraint and calm when speaking with the media on the part of Feliciano Lopez They were already there over the last few years. The experience, the know-how and the ability to face this sport from a more mature perspective made him live some of the best years of his career beyond the number of 35 springs. He himself admits it in a chat with CLAY, a conversation in which he reviews different aspects of his career and the present and future of tennis. 81 Grand Slams later, Feli himself admits that it was he himself who could decide “when and how” to retire, in addition to confessing that he has been “very lucky” after a career of enormous consistency and regularity.

“It feels strange to see that you are no longer a tennis player, but it is a decision that had been made for a long time, which makes it easier.”, points out the man from Toledo, who is still fully involved in the world of racket from a business point of view. Learning things that “you don’t see” when you are a tennis player, Feli turns his experience towards the roles of director of the Mutua Madrid Open and of the Davis Cup Finalswhich has allowed him to realize “the tremendous efforts behind any event.” “Sometimes you make decisions that the players are not going to like. When you are a tennis player, perhaps you are a bit selfish; there is much more behind the lives of those who enter the court”says López for sure, who did not want to go over again the sexist controversy that he experienced in the last tournament in Madrid, when he was not allowed to take the microphone and speak to the champions and finalists of the doubles tournament: “It’s over, we made a wrong decision and now we just have to move forward.”

THE RETURN OF NADAL AND THE GOAT DEBATE

Circuit partner and friend of Rafael NadalFeli’s voice is one of tranquility, but at the same time that of certainty: Rafa will not return to the slopes if it is not to feel competitive. “Rafa is fine and his recovery is going well. Knowing him, it’s hard for me to see him on court without feeling competitive. It’s hard to know what level he’ll be at in 2024, but he has the rest of the year to recover. If Rafa returns to play at tennis will be to do it competitively”apostille Feli, who also notes the factor familiar as an argument to take a breath, reset and start a recovery without too much emotional baggage: “Being away from your family and your son can help you”.

contemporary of Federer and ‘survivor’ of Nadal and Djokovic, having faced each branch of the Big Three on numerous occasions and having experienced their impact after so many years on the circuit give the Spaniard a renewed perspective when it comes to giving his opinion on the much-touted debate del GOAT. Of course, Feli exposes his argument with clarity and difference between two different conversations: one, referring to numbers; the other, referring to the footprint, affection of the people and transcendence of the subjects of the debate. And, of course, when talking about this second aspect, Feliciano can’t help but get wet and bet on two of the three musketeers.

“What Federer and Nadal have done for tennis seems hard to beat. It is something extraterrestrial, it is very possible that it is the most lasting, extraordinary rivalry and that it has been able to impact the most people in the world. Another thing is the numbers, the see who has won more, it’s a different debate, but the love people have for Federer and Nadal is second to none“.

2023-07-28 05:00:00
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