Farewell to a legend

GREATNESS IN NUMBERS

With 14 Roland Garros championships after 14 finals, Nadal is known as the "king of clay". He is the tennis player with the most titles at the French Open, and also the player with the most Grand Slam titles. In total, he won 112 matches and lost only 4 matches at Philippe Chatrier. Notably, the tennis player born in 1986 had a series of 81 consecutive wins on clay courts from 2005 to 2007. These are records that are very difficult to surpass.

Rafael Nadal makes history in world tennis

During his 23-year professional career, Nadal has won 92 major and minor ATP titles, including 22 Grand Slams and Masters 1000s. In addition, he also won two Olympic gold medals in men's singles and men's doubles. At his peak, the Spanish tennis player spent a total of 209 weeks at the ATP world No. 1 position. From 2004 to 2022, Nadal was in the world's top 10 for 912 weeks. This is the best achievement in the history of world tennis, far surpassing those behind him, Jimmy Connors (788 weeks) and Roger Federer (734 weeks). Along with Federer and Djokovic, Nadal is part of the great "Big Three", creating the most epic battles. He is also the tennis player with the most defeats of the world No. 1 with 23 wins...

T ENDLESS INSPIRATION

The factors that make Nadal successful are physical strength, power and speed. He possesses powerful forehands that make the ball go fast, spin and defend tenaciously and tenaciously. Nadal's life is a series of stories about passion, determination and fighting spirit to the end. He always shows seriousness in every practice session. When he makes a mistake, even just a small move, he can become irritable and disappointed. But when competing, he is a symbol of steel spirit and bravery. No matter how badly he plays, he still stays calm, focuses on winning each point and is not affected by emotions.

Nadal brings many emotions to the audience

PHOTO: AFP

Although his strengths are physical strength and speed, Nadal would have found it difficult to reach the top without intelligence. After losing to Federer in two consecutive Wimbledon finals, he realized his weaknesses and had to change his playing style. As a result, he defeated his Swiss opponent in the 2008 Wimbledon final, a match ranked among the best in the history of world tennis. In the final stage of his career, when he was no longer the strong, energetic Nadal of the past, he focused on net control to win titles.

World legend will retire at the age of 38

PHOTO: AFP

In the past 23 years, Nadal has suffered 24 serious injuries but has always come back strong. In the past 2 years, the Spanish tennis player has also suffered many injuries and has had to undergo continuous treatment. Finally, he listened to his body and decided to stop, but the passion and love for tennis are still there. He said goodbye to his glorious journey with a sad face and eyes filled with emotions. But in the end, he can smile because what he left behind is a legacy, an endless source of inspiration for many generations of current and future athletes.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/rafael-nadal-tam-biet-mot-huyen-thoai-185241011182655543.htm