Roger Federer, Anne Hidalgo, Kylian Mbappé…Reactions after the announcement of Rafael Nadal’s retirement

The end of an era. Rafael Nadal indicated this Thursday, in a video posted on his social networks, that he would retire from sports after the Davis Cup at the end of November. An announcement which (necessarily) sparked many reactions. Among them – and it was one of the most anticipated – that of Roger Federer: “What a career Rafa! I always hoped that this day would never come, wrote his biggest rival in the Instagram comments. Thank you for the unforgettable memories and all your exploits in this game that we love. It was truly an honor!”.

Many players still active also took the floor to pay tribute to the Spaniard. This is the case of world number one, Jannik Sinner: “He’s an incredible person. He taught us how to behave on the field, to manage situations on the court…He also taught us to remain humble, not to change with success”commented the Italian. Nicholas Kyrgios, who was not very close to the Majorcan, also spoke: “We had our differences, but you were quite a warrior. Best wishes and good luck for the future”posted on his account X the Australian.

Also readTennis: Nadal’s retirement, “bad news” for Jannik Sinner

The Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia, for her part, wanted to thank him for “all this [qu’il a, ndlr] made for this sport”adding that he was going to “missing out on tournaments”. Still in the world of tennis, the ATP (also) paid tribute to him with a beautiful image posted on Xwhile Roland-Garros – a tournament he won fourteen times – honored him with a beautiful video.

But the announcement of the 38-year-old’s retirement also went beyond the tennis sphere. Real Madrid, of which he is a fervent supporter, expressed his «admiration» and his «affection» pour “one of the greatest legends of Spanish sport and world sport of all time”. Kylian Mbappé, the Merengue player, also had his little message: “Congratulations on your career Rafa, an example as a player and person. Enjoy your retirement. You will always be a legend”wrote the Frenchman on Instagram. Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the Spaniard’s friends, greeted his “incredible career”son “dedication”in «passion» and his “incredible talent who have inspired millions of people around the world”.

Also readTennis: Rafael Nadal, a legend of earth and gold

Martin Fourcade, the ex-biathlete, reacted by emphasizing having “got really old leaving these two decades behind us”before thanking him. Even the political world has spoken out. Like the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo: “Thank you for making the hearts of Parisians beat so much by making Roland Garros vibrate so many times. Paris and Rafael Nadal, it’s a love story that is not ready to end!”she wrote.