Madrid, May 1 (IANS) Rafael Nadal bid farewell to fans at the Madrid Open, the ATP Masters 1000 tournament that he won five times during his illustrious career, after a 5-7, 4-6 fourth-round loss to the Czech player Jiri Lehecka.
The five-time champion of the tournament (2005, 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2017) produced the final epilogue of his Madrid Open journey against Lehecka. His fourth-round match against a Czech player lasted two hours and two minutes.
A win would have meant victory number 60 for the Spaniard in Madrid, but his count will now forever remain at 59 triumphs and just 15 defeats since his first match against Álex Corretja in the Madrid Arena in 2003.
After the match, an emotional Nadal received a special presentation on the court in which banners marking his five titles in 2008, ’10, ’13-’14 and ’17 unfurled from the closed roof as Madrid said goodbye to its greatest champion.
“It’s been a very special week for me, very positive in many ways, both personally and for my tennis. I had the chance to play again on court. A few weeks ago, two days before Barcelona, I didn’t know if I would compete in an official match again and I’ve now played two weeks. It’s been unforgettable,’ Nadal was quoted by ATP tour.
“The only thing I can say is ‘thank you’. It’s been an incredible journey that started when I was little. I came to Madrid for the first time in 2003, when the tournament was played indoors. The first time I came here feeling competitive was in 2005. It was one of the most exciting wins of my career, still indoors. Ever since, the support has been unconditional from everyone. I cannot thank you enough,” he added.
–IANS
bc/
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.