Andy Roddick – in one of many newest episodes of his podcast Served With – talked about Rafael Nadal’s retirement from tennis, which is able to occur after the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga in November.
The previous American legend targeted on a facet that’s usually neglected when speaking about Nadal, who is nearly unanimously thought-about the best participant ever on clay. However Roddick believes it’s decidedly reductive to speak in regards to the Spaniard completely for his achievements he obtained on clay-courts.
“The laziest means to consider Nadal is to say that Nadal is a clay courtroom participant. However let’s take clay out of the dialogue for a second, which isn’t usually accomplished with Rafa as a result of he has gained Roland Garros 14 occasions. Off clay, Rafa has gained as many Grand Slam titles as, for instance, two legends like Andre Agassi and Jimmy Connors of their total careers and he has gained yet one more than John McEnroe. They’re absolute icons of our sport. So, after this evaluation, I feel it’s not appropriate to outline Nadal solely as a clay courtroom participant. As a result of even when he’s the best clay courtroom participant in historical past, he’s way more than that,” he defined.
Toni Nadal on his nephew
Interviewed by MARCA in regards to the information of his nephew’s retirement, Toni Nadal expressed his opinion on the legendary Spanish champion’s resolution.
“When one thing ends it at all times produces a sense of unhappiness, however I’m blissful to see the emotion that Rafael has generated on this planet of sports activities. I’ve at all times been a coach who was afraid of shedding. I’ve at all times identified that there’s a very small margin between victory and defeat and that in the event you do not attain the restrict, perhaps you’ll find yourself shedding. If in 2004 they’d informed me that my nephew would retire in 2024 after having gained the whole lot he has gained, I couldn’t have imagined it. If Rafa had not taken dangers generally, his trophy cupboard could be a lot smaller now. Once they ask me who’s one of the best in historical past, I say: one of the best in historical past is Djokovic for the whole lot he has achieved and the one who performed one of the best tennis was definitely Roger Federer, however I feel that my nephew would have been one of the best in historical past, if he had not been injured a lot,” he defined.