Casper Ruud is set to skip Rafael Nadal’s retirement despite being a long-time fan and the Spaniard’s former doubles partner.
Nadal will say farewell at the Davis Cup Finals while representing Spain in Malaga. The likes of Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have already shared their wishes to be there.
But Ruud explained why he will watch from afar as he made a telling comment about Nadal’s legacy.
Nadal’s retirement could be just eight days away. The 22-time Grand Slam champion is set to end his career at the Davis Cup, where Spain face the Netherlands in the quarter-final on November 19.
He could hang around a little longer if they win. Their semi-final would be on November 22 with the final two days later.
Nadal’s farewell is already in high demand – tournament director Feliciano Lopez recently admitted they couldn’t accommodate all the athletes who wanted to be there for the last dance.
However, Ruud has already ruled out travelling to Malaga for Nadal’s send-off. “I won’t go. “I’ve played and seen enough tennis during the year, so… I’ll watch it probably on TV, but hopefully on a beach, quiet, just relaxed,” he said after his ATP Finals win on Monday.
“I think it was inevitable obviously with Roger, him, Andy and Novak kind of being the last of those guys who will retire at some point.
“I kind of think Novak said it well during the Saudi tournament. Please don’t retire yet because you have so many fans around the world.”
Nadal’s Davis Cup farewell isn’t the only match his rivals are keen to watch. The likes of Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek were in the stands for his first-round match against Alexander Zverev at the French Open earlier this year.
And Ruud thought that showed just how much Nadal meant to the sport. “Even among the players, it’s kind of… One match that showed it quite clearly to me was during the Roland Garros this year, there were a lot of players that came out to watch Rafa-Zverev,” he added.
“Typically you don’t have Swiatek, Novak, Carlos, everyone coming out to watch the first round of a slam. But when it’s Rafa, it’s different.”
The world No. 7 has long been a fan of Nadal and even trained at his academy in Mallorca. He was in the stands to watch the ‘King of Clay’ win the 2013 French Open – the photo went viral when Ruud faced his idol in the championships match nine years later.
Ruud even got the opportunity to play doubles with Nadal at the Bastad Open in July. They reached the semi-final before pulling out. So it’s no surprise he will miss seeing the Spaniard on tour.
Addressing Nadal’s retirement, he added: “Caught me a little bit by surprise that he announced it because I was maybe thinking he would give it one more try during the clay next year. At the same time I know he’s been struggling with a lot of pains and injuries. It just tears you also down mentally. At some point you call it a day.
“I think it will be a nice finish for him. It’s going to be sad and there will be some tears obviously. As a big fan myself, I hope they make it to the final and you get to watch him at least for a few more days. I hope he has the kind of retirement that he deserves.
“Just the best for him for the next.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk