Rafael Nadal is a living legend of world tennis and the protagonist of the golden age of this discipline, who will leave his career as it began. In November 2024, he will represent his country in the Davis Cup Final.
The man born in Manacor (Spain) has 22 Grand Slam titles, two Olympic golds and five Davis Cups under his belt. Injuries were one of the details that prevented the Spaniard from winning more titles, however, he has an eternal legacy after a head-to-head fight against the Swiss Roger Federer and the Serbian Novak Djokovic.
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“I think it’s the right time to end a long and more successful career than I could have ever imagined,” the Spaniard said in an emotional video.
It should be noted, Nadal had six matches against Santiago Giraldo, all of them with wins for the Spaniard. The first meeting of the “clay king” with the Colombian took place in the second round of Indian Wells 2008, in which he won 6-3, 6-3. The most relevant duel took place in the quarterfinals of the ATP Tokyo 2011, with a result of 7-6, 6-3 in favor of the Spaniard. Finally, in the round of 32 at Beijing 2013, Nadal won 6-2, 6-4.
Robert Farah, known for his successful career in doubles, is one of the few Colombians to face Rafael Nadal in ATP singles tournaments. In the round of 16 at Barcelona 2012, the Iberian won 6-2, 6-3 and was then the champion of the tournament. Other prominent Colombian tennis players, such as Alejandro Falla, Daniel Galán and Juan Sebastián Cabal, were unable to face the Spaniards in this modality.
In the middle of an exhibition match in the capital of the country, on 21 March 2011, Rafael Nadal together with Novak Djokovic faced each other at the El Campín coliseum, in one of the most important sporting events of that year in Colombia. The victory went to the Spaniards with a score of 7-6 and 6-3.
In November 2022, Nadal returned to Bogotá 11 years after his last visit to play an exhibition match, this time against Casper Ruud at the Coliseo Live. “Very fun to return to Colombia after many years of not being there, the last time I was in I think in 2011, if I’m not mistaken, and I’m very excited because I have very good memories, ” he said at that time.
Nadal took the victory 7-5, 6-4 in an event that provided a great sight for the fans. Before the main match, a doubles match was held in which María Camila Osorio, Juan Sebastián Cabal, Yuliana Lizarazo and Robert Farah took part, which left memorable plays on the court.
During his visit in 2022, the Spaniard excited the Colombians with the possibility of a third visit to Bogotá with his “Lights”, Roger Federer, another tennis legend. Federer had planned a match against Alexander Zverev at the Movistar Arena in 2019, but this was canceled due to public order issues arising during the National Strike. After that, an injury to Federer and the Covid-19 Pandemic prevented the match.
“Roger Federer always told me how excited he was to play here and how sad he was not able to do it,” Nadal said at the time. “Hopefully I can be here with him in the future playing a game for you,” he also said, leaving it open at that time that there could be a special event in the future.
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