Rafael Nadal enjoyed a legendary tennis career, winning 22 Grand Slam titles during his time on tour.
The Spaniard broke several records as a professional, perhaps the most impressive of which was his tally of 14 French Open titles.
Two years after his final Roland Garros triumph in 2022, Nadal retired from tennis when Spain were knocked out of the 2024 Davis Cup Finals.
Nadal’s absence has been felt ever since, as fans of the 22-time Major champion miss seeing the star perform at the highest level.
One of Nadal’s ATP Tour rivals has now revealed what he has found ‘strange’ since the 38-year-old retired from tennis last November.
Roberto Bautista Agut says it’s ‘strange’ playing on the ATP Tour without Rafael Nadal
Speaking in an interview ahead of the 2025 Madrid Open, Roberto Bautista Agut shared his thoughts on Nadal.
“Rafa [Nadal] is missed a lot on the circuit,” he said.
“I think I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy it for many years, and well, the truth is that it’s strange, when you’ve been living with some players for many, many years, and then they leave and you stay, it is not easy, it is different.
“Luckily, we have Carlos [Alcaraz] who has taken Rafa’s place very well, and if we are lucky, we will enjoy him for many years [as well].”
Alcaraz and Nadal are two of three Spanish players to have won multiple men’s Grand Slam titles during the Open Era.
- [22] Rafael Nadal
- [4] Carlos Alcaraz
- [2] Sergi Bruguera
Bautista Agut played five matches against his fellow countrymen, but failed to record a victory against Alcaraz or Nadal.
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2023 Barcelona Open – 3R | Carlos Alcaraz | Roberto Bautista Agut | 6-3, 7-5 |
| 2022 Indian Wells – 3R | Carlos Alcaraz | Roberto Bautista Agut | 6-2, 6-0 |
| 2019 Monte-Carlo Masters – 2R | Rafael Nadal | Roberto Bautista Agut | 6-1, 6-1 |
| 2017 French Open – 4R | Rafael Nadal | Roberto Bautista Agut | 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 |
| 2014 Madrid Open – SF | Rafael Nadal | Roberto Bautista Agut | 6-4, 6-3 |
Bautista Agut lost to Nadal in the semi-finals of the 2014 Madrid Open on debut, 4-6, 3-6, his best-ever result in the Spanish capital.
Roberto Bautista Agut’s incredible run to the 2019 Wimbledon semi-finals
Bautista Agut may never have beaten Nadal or Alcaraz, but that’s not to say he hasn’t scored some big wins over the years.
The world number 55 hadn’t qualified for a Major quarterfinal before 2019, when he embarked on an impressive Grand Slam campaign.
Bautista Agut knocked out Andy Murray, John Millman, Karen Khachanov, and Marin Cilic on his way to the Australian Open quarterfinals in January.
There, he lost to Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas in four sets, learning some valuable lessons ahead of his next deep Grand Slam run.
That run came at Wimbledon, where the Spaniard shocked the world by reaching the semi-finals at SW19.
- 2019 Wimbledon QF – Roberto Bautista Agut beat Guido Pella, 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
- 2019 Wimbledon 4R- Roberto Bautista Agut beat Benoit Paire, 6-3, 7-5, 6-2
- 2019 Wimbledon 3R – Roberto Bautista Agut beat Karen Khachanov, 6-3, 7-6, 6-1
- 2019 Wimbledon 2R – Roberto Bautista Agut beat Steve Darcis, 6-3, 6-2, 4-2 (RET)
- 2019 Wimbledon 1R – Roberto Bautista Agut beat Peter Gojowczyk, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3
Even Bautista Agut himself was surprised by his run in 2019, admitting after his quarterfinal win that he’d planned to be in Spain for his ‘stag do’ during the second week of Wimbledon.
“I had planned to be in Ibiza right now,” he said.
“We had everything organised already. Well, it feels better to be here in London.”
Bautista Agut’s Cinderella run came to an end in the semi-finals as he fell to defeat against eventual champion Novak Djokovic in four sets, 2-6, 6-4, 3-6, 2-6.
The 37-year-old hasn’t returned to a Grand Slam quarterfinal since and lost in the first round of this year’s Australian Open.
Bautista Agut will return to action at the Madrid Open, where he’ll take on his fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar on Wednesday, April 23.
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