It’s the end of an era as two of the Big 3 of tennis are now retired. During the Davis Cup, Rafael Nadal bid goodbye to the sport for good, eliciting a plethora of reactions from players and fans.
The King of Clay is an inspiration for all the up-and-coming players, and that’s precisely what fans got to witness when he retired. Nadal has been a role model, an idol, an inspiration, a legend, and, at times, an on-court rival for World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz.
With 22 Grand Slam titles to his name and a whopping 92 titles during his illustrious career, Nadal remains one of the finest and most passionate players ever to grace the tennis world.
In a heartwarming video tribute on his official Instagram handle, Sinner thanked the 22-time Grand Slam champion for everything he has done for the sport as a player and, more importantly, as a person. The World No. 1 further congratulated Nadal for starting a new chapter of his life.
Sinner said, “Rafa, what can I say? Just thank you so much for everything you’ve done and for what you have given us as a player, but especially as a person. Incredible career! Just wanted to say huge congrats to you, your team, and your family. And wish nothing but the best for a new chapter of life. Ciao.”
Carlos Alcaraz pays tribute to his idol Rafael Nadal
Carlos Alcaraz has always been one of the players who have idolized Nadal since childhood. However, Alcaraz is one of the few lucky ones who got to share the stage with their childhood idol. At the recently concluded Paris Olympics, the duo partnered up to reach the quarterfinals.
The 21-year-old wrote on X, “There will be many more Davis, there is only one Rafa. Thanks to you I have become a professional tennis player. It has been a blessing to be able to live your career as a child for whom you were an idol and then as a teammate! The best possible ambassador who leaves an eternal legacy.”
Now that Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have built a rivalry, fans are constantly drawing comparisons between the two young stars and the Big 3 (Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer).
With that being said, it is yet to be seen whether they can take this on-court rivalry to become as iconic as the one Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal shared. With Rafa retiring, it seems like now it’s time for the younger generation to carry forward the legacy and make tennis reach a new height.
