Nadal gets special tribute from Madrid Open

"It's a joke, guys. I'll be back next year," Nadal joked to the fans at the Manolo Santana stadium, easing the tension on an emotional evening that saw the former world number one fall to Jiri Leheckha in what could be his last professional match at the Mutua Madrid Open.

Nadal speaks after the match against Leheckha (Photo: Tennis.com)

Fans at Caja Magica Stadium witnessed Nadal's farewell moment (Photo: Tennis.com)

With his extended family and support team including his parents, wife Maria Francisca, sister Maribel and son Rafa Jr. watching, Nadal played a close match against the Czech 30th seed. However, Leheckha won 7-5, 6-4 to book his place in the quarterfinals. It was a bittersweet moment for the 37-year-old, who achieved success with wins over 10th seed Alex de Minaur and Pedro Cachin in his final season at the Madrid Open.

The Madrid Open didn't let the five-time champion leave without a proper tribute. Organizers used five banners depicting Nadal's signature victories from 2005, 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2017. A hilarious incident caused most of the banners to get stuck while being hung, but Nadal didn't mind.

Five banners with images of Nadal's 5-time coronation (Photo: Tennis.com)

Nadal received the commemorative trophy from the organizers (Photo: Tennis.com).

"This is a difficult one, it doesn't want to fall," Nadal joked as the banner highlighting his maiden Madrid title win over Ivan Ljubicic in 2005 was coolly taken down.

Nadal also received a commemorative trophy from the tournament organizers for his 59 matches and five titles won, including his first title on indoor hard courts and four more on clay courts in the later stages.

"Two days before arriving in Barcelona, ​​I really didn't know if I would ever play a professional match again. I've been able to play for two weeks and this week has been unforgettable," Nadal told fans in Spanish. "All I can say is I'm very grateful. This is an incredible journey that started when I was very young."

"Since my first time playing (here in 2005) until now, there has been nothing but love and unconditional support from everyone in Madrid. All I can say is thank you and I am extremely grateful."

As the Spaniard finally walked off the court, organizers and staff including tournament director Feliciano Lopez formed an honor guard to escort him down the tunnel to a standing ovation from the Caja Magica stands.

The organizers stood in two rows to see Nadal off the field (Photo: Tennis.com).

Nadl waves to the crowd at Caja Magica (Photo: Tennis.com).

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/nadal-duoc-madrid-open-tri-an-theo-cach-dac-biet-20240501175030576.htm