Rafa Nadal: A Tennis Legend

beIN SPORTS USA

Stars from sport pay their respects to Rafa Nadal who will retire from tennis after the Davis Cup in November

Transcript

00:00The figure of Rafa in the Spanish sport and in the life of the Spaniards,

00:04there has not been anyone like him, nor do I think there is.

00:07The legacy is too important, he is a living tennis legend.

00:12My most important rival of all time.

00:16I think Rafa is a colossal.

00:19I always say the same thing, when this moment comes, I will know,

00:25I will know, and it will be time to make a decision.

00:39I always respect Rafa, I admire him with all my heart,

00:45as a friend, as a sportsman, as a reference.

00:51Rafa's motivation is to be competitive, to keep improving,

00:55not to look too much at others, but to look at himself,

00:58and that for me has been the key that has led him to surpass himself year after year.

01:02For me he is an example to follow, inside and outside the court,

01:05everything, I think he is a magnificent person.

01:07I think there will be no one like him.

01:09Beyond the fact that he has won 22,

01:12that he has won 14 times in 92,

01:15he has shown what he represents and what he will leave.

01:19In the end, there are many years, many things, many joys that he has given us.

01:25I mean, I think every record in sports or in tennis can and will probably be broken.

01:31I'm pretty sure the only one that will never be broken

01:34is the 14 French Open titles from Rafa Nadal,

01:37and I don't see how somebody can win 14 titles.

01:40Do you realize that a player is special when he wins a lot?

01:46When he wins a lot?

01:49Well, when he wins from his 10th to his 11th,

01:54I already know that I am facing a special player.

01:58What is incredible is that,

02:01it is to have played at the same time as Federer,

02:04because in the end they would have played each in a different era,

02:06we would remember each of them as the best of their generation.

02:08So he is really a player who has managed to convince everyone,

02:11even though people were not convinced,

02:13I think that everyone has a lot of respect for what he has accomplished,

02:16the legacy he left, and the legacy he will leave in Paris 14 years from now.

02:22If I had to choose the toughest opponent on any surface,

02:26I would choose him.

02:28Even on the Châtelet court in Roland-Garros,

02:31that is probably the toughest challenge,

02:35maybe in sports in general,

02:37and I think only two people beat him there.

02:41I have a lot of respect for Rafa,

02:44Rafa is a good person,

02:46a player who is a legend in our sport,

02:51my most important rival of all time.

02:56Of course I have my personal goals,

02:59but it is about knowing that this career is not forever.

03:11ROLAND-GARROS

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