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