The local idol, honored at the Manolo Santana, is eliminated in the round of 16 of his last tournament in the capital
“This day had to come, I hope I have been an example”
MADRID, 1 (EUROPA PRESS)
The Spanish tennis player Rafa Nadal lost (7-5, 6-4) this Tuesday against the Czech Jiri Lehecka in the round of 16 of the Mutua Madrid Open, an inspired and forceful rival with his serve and forehand, and was eliminated from his last participation in the Caja Mágica, in line with the plans to end his career in 2024.
“It’s the end and endings are always emotional,” the five-time tournament champion said this week. The local idol, legend of Spanish sports, entered the match at a good level but did not take advantage of his break options. Lehecka did not forgive, he scored the first set and took an early lead in the second.
Nadal clung to the court, avoiding another break in a row, but with an average of 200 km/h on his serve and a forehand full of winners, the Czech was unstoppable. After three victories in the Manolo Santana, the fourth match made the man from Manacor kneel, after twelve at night, honored by Madrid and reinforced to face his farewell on the courts with greater guarantee.
Lehecka did not have the shyness of Pedro Cachín, his previous rival. Nadal got closer, winning the few rallies and matching his rival’s effectiveness with his serve. However, the Czech’s power killed more points and helped him save a break point in the eighth game. He touched the break several times, but in the end the Spaniard conceded it at the Czech’s high point.
The 22-year-old young tennis player won 16 of the 17 points awarded to him in the first set (7-5) and the initial break in the second. Nadal calmed the storm and tried to wake up the crowd, although he really needed to raise his tennis too. The Manacorí saved his serve in a third 15-minute game and activated survival mode under the ‘yes we can’ from the public.
The Spaniard stayed in the fight but was unable to find a response to the rest. He also did not leave him a Lehecka who at no time showed the pressure of destroying the king of the land in his house. The champion of 22 ‘Grand Slams’ came close with a 30-30 in the eighth game, but the Czech, ice inside and out, did not fail.
Despite his thousand stories and epic comebacks, this Nadal, without his 100% physique, with three tournaments in 2024 and a blank 2023, nor his game, had no remedy for goodbye. The last time in Madrid for the man from Manacor, who scheduled his farewell for this campaign and at least achieved a first goodbye on the court, with a shoot that will take him to Rome and, later, to Roland Garros, to dream about.
“It has been a very special week, very positive, unforgettable. The only thing I can do is thank you for your unconditional support, it has been an incredible journey,” Nadal said on the court after the match. The five-time champion received the tribute of the Mutua Madrid Open with five tarps that fell from the roof of the Manolo Santana, with the memory of each of his titles and a ‘Thank you’.
Nadal spoke after a video with images of him at the Madrid event. “I was kidding, next year I’ll be back,” he began before becoming serious, as well as excited, like his family in the stands. “Seeing the images they seem from another life. It’s not over, but it was the last time I play here. It has been a gift, more important than some ‘Grand Slam’ that I won out there, playing in front of the Spanish public will stay with me forever,” he said.
“I feel lucky, I can’t ask for more, I hope to have been a positive example for the new generations, it is the most important thing. Sport generates enthusiasm, I think I have generated that illusion in you. The only thing I can say is ‘thank you’, That’s what I feel. It was a difficult day, but I think that life and my body have been sending signals for a long time that this day had to come,” he added.
The local idol received a trophy from the tournament organization, with the director, Feliciano López, at the helm, with a ‘Thank you Rafa’ and the 59 victories, the tournament record, of the Spaniard in Madrid. “I was able to say goodbye on the track, which was a dream, in a place that moved me the most. I’m not retiring, I will thank my team and my family the day I retire,” he concluded.
2024-04-30 22:04:53
#Nadal #goodbye #Madrid
