Rafael Nadal had to take a moment to gather himself, visibly moved, as he spoke to the crowd after losing in the fourth round at the Madrid Open.
As chants of “Rafa, Rafa, Rafa” filled the air, the five-time champion in Madrid bid farewell following a 7-5, 6-4 loss on Tuesday to the 31st-ranked Jiri Lehecka. It was likely his final official match at the tournament in the Spanish capital.
“This is a tough day when it comes, but it’s reality. My body and life have been sending me signals for a while,” Nadal said. “I was able to say goodbye by playing on this court, one of the most special ones for me. Madrid has sometimes meant more to me than a Grand Slam. The memories here will stay with me forever.”
After the match, tournament organizers displayed five banners for each of Nadal’s titles in Madrid — from 2005, ‘10, ’13, ‘14, to ’17. They also played a video of his highlights, while his wife and sister cried in the stands.
“What you’ve done for me during the 21 years I’ve played here has been a gift,” said the 37-year-old Nadal, who has won 22 Grand Slam singles titles. “All I can say is ‘thank you.’”
Nadal hadn’t lost to a player ranked outside the top 20 on clay since he was defeated by Pablo Cuevas in 2016 at Rio de Janeiro. He was aiming for his 60th win in Madrid and the 100th ATP 1000 quarterfinal of his career.
Earlier, Carlos Alcaraz, who Spanish fans hope will succeed Nadal, spent nearly three hours defeating Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4).
Both Spaniards are recovering from injuries and trying to get fit for the French Open next month. Alcaraz, 20, missed tournaments in Monte Carlo and Barcelona. Nadal played two matches in Barcelona after almost three months without competition.
Before heading to Madrid, Nadal expressed concerns about his fitness but managed to win three matches in a row without significant physical problems.
“Just two days before I left for Barcelona I didn’t know if I was going to be able to play again in an official match,” Nadal said, “and in the end, I’ve played two weeks.”
Alcaraz, seeded second, had won two easy matches in Madrid but faced difficulties on Tuesday. He missed four match points against the 24th-ranked Struff while serving at 5-3, but he won in the deciding tiebreaker at the Caja Magica center court.
“I wasn’t at my best physically toward the end of the match, but I’m happy that in the end I found my game,” Alcaraz said. “I fought for every ball and didn’t let down despite some difficult moments when things didn’t go my way.”
