Jimmy Connors took to his podcast to praise Rafael Nadal ahead of the Spaniard’s retirement.
The 38-year-old played professional tennis for 23 years but as the injuries became too much to bear, Nadal will bid farewell to tennis after November’s Davis Cup finals has concluded.
He has transcended tennis in a way no other player has broken plenty of records in process, including his staggering haul of 14 French Open titles.
Following Nadal’s retirement announcement plenty of former players shared tributes, including Connors, the eight-time Grand Slam champion.
What does Jimmy Connors love most about Rafael Nadal and his game?
Rafael Nadal has been praised not just for his long list of achievements but the approach to the game and the way he competed.
The former World number one played every point as though it were his last and he brought a passion to the game that endeared him to fans worldwide.
These are qualities Nadal possesses that Jimmy Connors most admires, as he went into more detail about the Spaniard on his ‘Advantage Connors’ podcast.
“I said many years ago, when he was first coming up, his style reminded me a lot of the way I played and my attitude towards it. I said he played like he’s broke and I know that is not true!,” Connors said.
“He was willing to go out there and lay it out there on the line every time. It didn’t matter what the score was, he was going to give it his all until the very end. If you play like that, not that other guys don’t play like that, but you can tell some guys like Rafa compared to Federer.
“Federer moved more elegantly across the court but Rafa was a grinder and would get down and dirty. That’s why on clay, his shirt and socks were dirty. I love that about him.”
Did Rafael Nadal want to retire in 2024?
Before the end of the 2023 season, Nadal said the 2024 campaign could be the last of his illustrious career.
He has competed in six tournaments this year and two more are scheduled before his career comes to an end, the Six Kings Slam and the Davis Cup finals in Malaga.
As Nadal prepares to bid farewell to tennis, his uncle and former coach Toni Nadal thinks he wanted to have another solid run on clay before hanging up his racket.
“Rafa would have liked another good season on clay and that means winning or at least performing at a good level,” Toni told Marca. “He has not retired as he would have liked.
“I always told him not to complain because life has treated us better than we expected. Looking back now, you can say why he put it off, but Rafa had the hope of still giving his best version and when he was not convinced, he retired.”
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