Stefanos Tsitsipas finds three words to describe his matches against Rafael Nadal after his retirement announcement

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Stefanos Tsitsipas mentioned a hilarious Laver Cup reference during his tribute to Rafael Nadal.

Tributes are continuing to pour in for the 22-time Grand Slam champion after he announced he will retire from professional tennis after November’s Davis Cup finals.

After a glittering career spanning 23 years, the 38-year-old’s injury issues have finally caught up with him, as he admitted being unable to play without any pain or limitations.

Now Nadal is set to bid farewell to tennis on home soil in Spain and will likely have Spanish compatriot Carlos Alcaraz by his side if they play doubles together at the Davis Cup finals.

What did Stefanos Tsitsipas say in his tribute to Rafael Nadal?

Stefanos Tsitsipas added his name to the long list of people who have sent a message to Nadal following his retirement announcement.

On Friday morning the 26-year-old posted a touching tribute on X which read: “Rafa, Our battles were passionate, colourful, iconic. They resembled you.

“It has been one of the great honours of my life to share the court with you, both as an opponent and as a teammate. Enjoy your next chapter, amigo. Vamos Rafa, para siempre. PS: Any finger, you cross,” with a wink face emoji at the end.

The last line of Tsitsipas’ message is in reference to a moment from his doubles match with Nadal at the 2019 Laver Cup. 

During a second set changeover, Nadal and Tsitsipas were discussing their hand signals, before the Spaniard said: “We need to be more clear with the fingers,” Nadal said while chuckling.

While demonstrating a closed fist, Nadal said: “Like this, you stay in the same place,” before saying: “and any finger, you cross,” which made some of the team members laugh, including Roger Federer.

Which other player paid tribute to Rafael Nadal?

Another of Nadal’s rivals on the ATP Tour to pay tribute to him is Fabio Fognini. The pair played one another 18 times in their careers, and the Italian’s aggressive style of play did cause Nadal problems.

Fognini picked up four wins against the former World number one, with the last coming at the 2019 Monte Carlo Masters.

His tribute read: “The time has come to say goodbye.. and although it is difficult for me, at the same time it is easy to thank you for all that you did for our beloved sport.

“I feel lucky, and also a little unlucky, because one day I’ll be able to say that I shared almost my entire career with a legend, a friend off the track and a rival inside, because that’s what sport is like.

“There were many battles we played, and I’m happy every time I came out to compete against you; I always learned how to fight in not-optimal conditions. Most of all, Thank you for letting me win a few times. I wish you all the best, phenomenon. A hug to all your family.”