Tennis “Special Week”
Nadal moves to tears – emotional farewell in Madrid
As of: 11:15 a.m. | Reading time: 4 minutes
Rafael Nadal after his defeat against Czech Jiri Lehecka
What: AFP/THOMAS COEX
After a long time, Rafael Nadal can play a tournament again. But his farewell tour ends early in Madrid. After the game, the Spanish tennis star is celebrated and finds emotional words.
Rafael Nadal waves to the spectators one last time at the Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid. They celebrate him. Standing ovations and cheers for one of the greatest in this sport. The exit in the round of 16 late Tuesday evening with 5:7, 4:6 against the Czech Jiri Lehecka marks his farewell – not yet from the tennis world, but from the tournament in Madrid, which he won five times. “I’m happy,” said the 37-year-old shortly before during an interview on the pitch. “It was a very special week for me, very positive and very emotional. I had the opportunity to play here on this court again.” There are tears in the stands, and not just from his mother and sister.
The fact that Nadal’s body allowed him to take part in Madrid is no longer a given for the pain-plagued Spaniard. He hasn’t announced exactly when he will end his career, but it is clear that he is on the home stretch. Concerns about injuries have repeatedly slowed him down in recent years.
And so he goes on an emotional farewell tour. “It’s a difficult day when it’s here, but it’s the reality. My body and my life have been sending me signals for some time,” said the 22-time Grand Slam tournament winner in Madrid. “I was able to say goodbye here on the pitch, one of the most emotional places for me. At times, Madrid was more important to me than a Grand Slam. The memories will last forever.”
Tears in the stands: Nadal’s mother Ana Maria Parera (l), his sister Maria Isabel Nadal (center) and his wife Maria Francisca Perello
Quelle: Getty Images/Clive Brunskill
Due to a long-term hip injury, Nadal canceled all tournament participation after the Australian Open in January 2023. This year he made his comeback before the first Grand Slam tournament of the year in Brisbane, but was injured again there and has not played a match since. At the beginning of April he had to announce at short notice that he would not be taking part in the Masters in Monte Carlo.
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No wonder, then, that Nadal rated the tournament in Madrid as a “positive week” and is confident going into the Masters tournament in Rome, which begins on Monday. In Madrid, Nadal said, it was over, “but my journey with the racket in my hand is not yet over. In addition to the Olympic Games in Paris, appearing at the Grand Slam tournament at the same venue from the end of May is one of Nadal’s main goals this year. The Spaniard has won 14 times at Roland Garros so far.
Zverev disappointed in the round of 16 in Madrid
Alexander Zverev was also eliminated in Madrid. The Olympic champion somewhat surprisingly lost his round of 16 match on Tuesday against Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo 3:6, 4:6. The 27-year-old won the clay court tournament in the Spanish capital in 2018 and 2021 and had already reached the quarter-finals five times.
“This is disappointing for me because it is in Madrid. “This is a tournament that I really like and where I have the feeling that I can always win,” said Zverev on the pay TV channel Sky about his appearance. Shortly after the match, the fifth in the world rankings was unable to give any concrete reasons for his exit: “It’s confusing for me when I have the ball on my racket like this, that I then lose 3:6, 4:6.” He I served hard and confidently and “still felt a little bit without a chance on the court,” the German complained: “I haven’t had that for a long time in my tennis career.”
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Zverev didn’t play with enough variety to put the tactically disciplined Cerundolo in more trouble in the first direct duel. Two breaks were enough for the Argentine to make it 5:3 (1st set) and 2:1 (2nd set) to secure his place in the top eight after an hour and a half. There the 25-year-old will meet Taylor Fritz from the USA. Zverev has lost three of his seven matches so far in this year’s clay court season. The Hamburg native doesn’t have much time left until the French Open in Paris, which begins on May 26th, to get into title shape.
Zverev’s Davis Cup teammate Jan-Lennard Struff missed a big surprise despite a strong performance and lost to Carlos Alcaraz 3:6, 7:6 (7:5), 6:7 (4:7). Struff always kept up with the Spanish world number three Alcaraz. In the second set, the 34-year-old Sauerlander made up a break deficit and secured passage in the tie-break. In the decisive set, the 20-year-old Alcaraz, with his nerves strong, prevailed after a total of 2:50 hours.
