When he finally spoke, Nadal thanked the crowd, his fans, his fellow players, and of course Federer, Djokovic, Nadal, and Murray, who walked out to embrace Rafa. (“We competed as hard as we could against each other…and were still respectful colleagues,” Nadal said.) But it was one man in particular whom Rafa thanked above and beyond anybody else: his uncle Toni, who played such a crucial role in shaping Nadal’s early career.
“Toni,” Nadal began. “You are the reason why I’m here. You made me suffer. You made me smile. It wasn’t easy, but it was certainly worth it.”
It speaks volumes about Rafa’s character that while he was emotional throughout the tribute, with tears welling up time and time again, his biggest emotions came when the people who work at Roland-Garros for the French Open came out in force to pay tribute to him. (The French tennis federation also honored Rafa in a unique way: His shoe’s footprint will be permanently embedded on the surface of the stadium.)
But if tears abounded throughout, Nadal left the stadium with an enormous smile—waving goodbye one last time, with his young son in his arms.
