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Watching Rafael Nadal’s farewell ceremony at the Madrid Open brought Iga Swiatek to tears, she revealed. The Spaniard, who is most likely going to retire this year, lost to Jiri Lehecka in a lopsided match in the fourth round.
Following the match, Nadal was given a goodbye ceremony in which five banners depicting his five Madrid Open victories were let drop from the closed ceiling. With his impending retirement looming big, the 37-year-old struck an emotional figure as the Madrid audience waved goodbye to their greatest champion. Swiatek acknowledged in an interview with Tennis Channel that she was moved to tears during the ceremony, but she also acknowledged that, given how far away she was from having to consider her own retirement, she had “mixed feelings” about Nadal’s circumstances.
Speaking, she said, “It’s difficult for me to understand what exactly his situation is because, obviously, I’m still pretty young. So, you know, mixed emotions.” I haven’t been to the location of my most recent tournament. I absolutely sobbed while watching the entire ceremony in Madrid, but what matters most is that he seemed joyful.
After so many years at the top of his game, Swiatek continued to praise Nadal for his strategy and insisted that he should be praised for giving up on his own terms. “I think his approach is very smart and really a good example of an athlete that he’s kind of satisfied with what he’s achieved and he is okay with starting another chapter in his life,” she said. “It’s clear that everyone is upset about it, but it’s his life, and he’s living it how he wants to, according to his rules.
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