Rafael Nadal is set to retire from tennis after the 2024 Davis Cup, ending a 23 year career as a professional.
Following the conclusion of the 2024 Davis Cup, Nadal will retire from tennis after winning an astonishing 22 Grand Slam titles.
Nadal announced his retirement earlier this year, after struggling with a number of injuries throughout the past few seasons.
Nadal has managed just 23 matches over the past two years, winning just 13, a significant drop off from the Grand Slam-winning form we saw from him in 2022.
His final tournament will be at home, as Nadal will play the Davis Cup, in Malaga, one last time.
The week of the Spaniard’s final tournament has been filled with tributes for one of the game’s greatest-ever players, and one ATP star chimed in with his own special memories.
Denis Shapovalov remembers ‘special’ memories he shared with Rafael Nadal
Speaking ahead of Canada’s quarter-final Davis Cup tie against Germany, Denis Shapovalov looked back on his favorite Nadal moments.
“Beating him,” he joked.
“There have been a lot of good moments, good matches between me and Rafa [Nadal].
“Obviously some I have won; most I have lost.
“Yeah it’s been fun to go up against his and battle.”
Nadal leads the head-to-head 4-2 against Shapovalov, with the pair sharing some intense battles on the ATP Tour.
“I think one of the best matches, or most entertaining matches we played was in the Australian Open, the five sets in the quarter-finals,” he said.
“You know, it was definitely a special match for the both of us.”
The Canadian eventually fell to Nadal in five sets in Melbourne but had slightly more success the last time they played.
“Yeah, playing him, you know, beating him on clay was also a great memory, a special memory for me, as well, also given that the year before I had two or three match points against him and I lost that match,” said Shapovalov.
The 25-year-old went on to explain just how big an impact Nadal has had on the sport.
“Yeah, I think he’s left a crazy imprint on the game of tennis,” he said.
“I remember watching him when I was a kid, you know, cleaning up all the tournaments, winning so much.
“It’s definitely crazy what he’s been able to achieve.
“I think not just for a tennis player but for any athlete it’s insane.
“Yeah, it’s definitely very special.”
How did Denis Shapovalov beat Rafael Nadal on clay?
Beating the so-called ‘King of Clay’ on the red stuff is no mean feat, and in over two decades on the ATP Tour, the Spaniard has only lost 51 matches on the surface.
A 484-51 record is absurd, and any member of the ’51’ club, deserves some serious recognition, due to the task at hand.
Nadal and Shapovalov faced off three times on the surface, all in the last 16 of the Rome Masters 1000 event.
The first two meetings unsurprisingly went the way of the 38-year-old, as Nadal won 6-4, 6-1 in 2018, and 3-6, 6-4, 7-6, in 2021.
It was the year after however, when the Canadian finally got the better of Nadal, as he won 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 in the Italian capital.
The defeat came in the middle of a tough period for the Spaniard, who had been struggling with his left foot for a long time.
Nadal went on to win the French Open later that year with the same foot injury, needing injections to numb the pain throughout the tournament.
It was an impressive win for Shapovalov, and he remains one of a select bunch who can say that they beat Nadal on clay.
Nadal will begin his Davis Cup campaign against the Netherlands on Tuesday, with Shapovalov’s Canada taking on Germany on Wednesday.
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