Rafa retires

Rafael Nadal retires after 23 years, leaving behind a legacy of 22 Grand Slams, a fighting spirit, and personal touch

Tennis great Rafael Nadal hanged up the racquet earlier this week. No fairytale ending though he could conjure, the Spaniard has left a legacy that is not easy to fill and forget. The 38-year old who debuted at the age of 14 is the winner of 22 Grand Slam titles in a career spanning 23 years, including record 14 French Open crowns; he is the second-most successful men's singles player of all time (with Novak Djokovic being the first); he has under his belt a record 81-match unbeaten streak on the red dirt, something that earned him the title 'King of Clay'; and he was ranked ATP World No 1 in singles for 209 weeks, and finished as the year-end No 1 five times. His 'tenacity, fighting spirit, energy and power' is something 'that will be studied and transferred to many generations' to come, as Djokovic very aptly summed up.

But apart from the sporting one, Nadal has left a personal legacy too. Not just a player par excellence, the Spaniard is considered a gentleman in the game too. Who would forget an emotional Nadal with his eyes constantly running when his greatest rival in the court, Roger Federer, bade adieu to tennis around two years ago! "I just want to be remembered as a good person …" was all what the tennis legend emphasised on in his farewell speech to his fans at Malaga where he bowed out with defeat in the Davis Cup. No wonder there was hardly a dry eye around.

Along with Djokovic and Frederer, Nadal featured the 'Big Three' of tennis. With the last two mentioned having called it a day, it now leaves the Serbian star - who, ageing 37, is himself in his twilight years - to carry the burden of mesmerising the tennis fans worldwide. However, among those catching up are exciting stars like top seed Jannik Sinner from Italy, second seed Alexander Zverev from Germany and Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, the world number 3 who is considered as one of the game's brightest talents. But a career spanning two decades or more is no mean feat - for which one has to be blessed with the masterclass of the 'Big Three'.