Press about Nadal:

“He leaves an indelible legacy”

Rafael Nadal won Wimbledon 2010.

(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

International press comments on the end of tennis star Rafael Nadal's career after Spain's quarter-final defeat to the Netherlands in the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga:

SPAIN

"Mundo deportivo": "His legacy remains, regardless of Malaga. Thank you, Rafa. Forever and ever. (...) He leaves behind an indelible legacy."

"El País": "Paradoxically, Nadal leaves as he started (...): With a defeat. Sometimes great stories begin and end in the opposite way."

"La Vanguardia": "This is a strange farewell. Nadal is saying goodbye in the match, exactly as he intended. But he does it under adverse circumstances, beating Botic van de Zandschulp, and thus putting a strain on the Spanish team. Yes, it's a strange epilogue. And the climax is tarnished."

"Marca": "If you look back on his career, you also look back on a story of perseverance: Rafa, who since his beginnings in the elite also knew how to deal with numerous injuries and had to assert himself in a competition of giants against behemoths like Djokovic and Federer. Because Rafa was many things: a man of flesh and blood, approachable and human (...). He was unique. He was Rafa."

GREAT BRITAIN

"The Guardian": "Not even the deafening, incessant cheers of the crowd could carry Nadal beyond the limits of his battered and exhausted body. Although he fought for every single point with the dedication and desperation that have characterized his entire career, Nadal was clearly defeated."

"The Telegraph": "Rafael Nadal's glittering career ends in tears."

FRANCE

"Le Monde": "History will hardly remember the name of his gravedigger - no offense to Botic van de Zandschulp - nor the result (...). But the 38-year-old left-hander's farewell performance ended a little too abruptly not to leave him with a touch of bitterness."

"L'Équipe": "Rafael Nadal, a giant on earth, was at the top for 20 years."

ITALY

"Corriere dello Sport": "It was a legendary career that took the Mallorcan star to every corner of the world. His successes have helped to increase his fame - and fill his bank account considerably."

"La Gazzetta dello Sport": "Emotions and disappointment. Tears and exhaustion. (...) The 38-year-old Nadal's 1308th singles match, which brought him his 228th defeat, was full of emotion but short on tennis and brought down the curtain on an extraordinary career."

SWITZERLAND

"NZZ": "His body paid the price for his self-sacrificing style of play - with Rafael Nadal, one of the greatest is saying goodbye to the tennis court. (...) With 14 titles at Roland Garros, he will forever be remembered as the clay king of Paris."