“I have a few things to share before I get carried away by my emotions. Let’s start with the obvious: you beat me, big time. More than I managed to beat you. You challenged me like no other ‘No one else could do it. On clay, I felt like I was walking into your backyard, and you made me work harder than I ever thought possible, just to keep up.
I’m not a very superstitious person, but you took this to the next level. This whole process. All these rituals. Lining up your water bottles like toy soldiers in training, fixing your hair, adjusting your underwear… All this with the utmost intensity. Secretly, I kind of liked it all. Because it was so unique, it was so you.
And you know what, Rafa, you made me appreciate tennis even more.
Ok, maybe not at first. After the 2004 Australian Open, I reached number one in the rankings for the first time. I thought I was on top of the world. And I was – until, two months later, you walked onto the court in Miami in your sleeveless red jersey, showing off your biceps, to beat me convincingly. All this noise I had heard about you – about this extraordinary young player from Mallorca, a generational talent, who was probably going to win a major tournament one day – it wasn’t just hype.
We were both at the beginning of our journey and it was a trip we ended up doing together. Twenty years later, Rafa, I must say that you have had an incredible journey. With 14 Roland-Garros in particular, it’s historic! You made Spain proud… you made the tennis world proud.
I can’t stop thinking about the memories we shared. Promote sport together. Play this match on a half-grass, half-clay field. Break the attendance record by playing in front of more than 50,000 spectators in Cape Town, South Africa. Always making fun of each other. Exhausting each other on the pitch and, sometimes, having to support each other almost literally during trophy ceremonies.
I’m forever grateful to you for inviting me to Mallorca to take part in the launch of the Rafa Nadal Aacademy in 2016. In fact, I kind of invited myself. I knew you were too polite to insist on my presence, but I didn’t want to miss it (…) Rafa, I know you are focused on the home stretch of your epic career. We’ll talk when it’s over. For now, I just want to congratulate your family and your team, all of whom played an important role in your success. And I want you to know that your old friend still encourages you, and will encourage you just as hard for everything you do next.”
