As I traveled along the highway past the Palacio de Deportes in Malaga this week, I couldn’t help but notice a huge canvas paying tribute to the retired Rafael Nadal.
In the center of the banner is a cartoon-like image of Nadal in a familiar pose.
Biceps sticking out from a sleeveless shirt, sweaty scalp wrapped in a white bandana, fingers of the left hand holding a racket.
The caricature is sandwiched between two words: “Gracias Rafa”.
A simple message that brought back countless memories for almost every country neatly summed up what Nadal means to Spain.
“When we look back on all the times we’ve watched Rafa play over the past 20 years, the first word that comes to mind is Gracias,” said Feliciano Lopez, Nadal’s former Davis Cup teammate and close friend for more than 20 years. BBC Sports.
“We are just grateful to him for experiencing and living what he has achieved.
“No one in Spain could have imagined before that someone could achieve so much on the tennis court.”
With 22 Grand Slam titles, 92 ATP Tour titles, two Olympic gold medals, four Davis Cup finals wins, No. 1 in the world for 209 weeks, and a top 10 ranking for 912 consecutive weeks, his accomplishments have to be seen to be believed.
No wonder fans flocked to Malaga on Tuesday to witness what would prove to be the final game of his career after Spain lost to the Netherlands in the Davis Cup quarter-finals.
They cheered. They cried. They even celebrated the Netherlands’ missed first serve in a soccer-style atmosphere.
