Rennae Stubbs, former Serena Williams coach, compared Rafael Nadal’s personality to that of tennis superstar Steffi Graf following the Spaniard’s retirement ceremony at the Davis Cup Finals.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion had suffered from injuries in his later years on tour. Nadal’s last professional encounter was against Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands, who defeated him in straight sets.
“It was enough for Rafa”
Following Rafa’s setback, Spain’s chances of advancing in the Davis Cup and extending the former World No. 1’s career rested on Carlos Alcaraz. Despite defeating Tallon Griekspoor in straight sets, the Spanish doubles duo of Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers lost to Van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof, ensuring the Netherlands’ victory and Nadal’s retirement.
Following the series, a 10-minute farewell ceremony was performed for Nadal. However, it lacked the presence of high-profile peers like Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, who only gave pre-recorded video tributes.
The 14-time Roland Garros champion shed tears as he waved farewell to his fans. However, personalities such as Nadal’s coach Carlos Moyá and Spain’s Davis Cup captain David Ferrer criticized the ceremony’s simplicity, citing the absence of Federer and Djokovic.
“It’s like Steffi.” “It’s interesting because Steffi just dropped the mic and walked away because she was hurting,” Rennae Stubbs said on her show. “Her body hurt. Her knee hurt. Her foot hurt. Her back hurt. She was in love. She’d just met Andre, and they were dating, but she was different, so she ended it.”
“She simply walked away, although she is very different from these characters. She did not enjoy being in the spotlight; she preferred to play. “I think Rafa is more similar to Steffi than Roger, Novak, or Andy,” she said.
“Even the manner he retired, and the circumstances around it, it was more about playing at home, being with his family, and there were no other players present. There were only his teammates, and it was kind of low-key, as if Rafa was content with it.”
“For Steffi it was like, ‘Yeah, I don’t need all that pomp and ceremony.’ The first thing I said to her when she told me she was retiring, I was like,’Wait what? The US Open is in like three weeks. Why don’t you do it there?’ And she’s like, ‘Nah, I’m good.'”
