Rafael Nadal’s message to Novak Djokovic after missing farewell | Tennis | Sport

As the Davis Cup returns this week, many will think back to the emotional scenes at last year’s Finals, where Rafael Nadal played his final match. The Spaniard’s farewell was missed by top stars such as Novak Djokovic, who Nadal sent a heartfelt message to after the tournament.

Nadal had hoped that Djokovic would be present in Malaga for his final match. However, Djokovic was absent from Spain’s tie against the Netherlands and had only planned to attend the following weekend, hoping Spain would progress far enough for him to witness Nadal’s final bow.

Nadal represented Spain at last year’s World Cup of men’s tennis, with his nation drawn against the Dutch team in the quarter-finals. If they had won, they would have played their semi-final and the championship match on the Sunday. Many sporting legends, including Djokovic and Andy Murray, had expressed interest in attending Nadal’s final performance, according to tournament director Feliciano Lopez.

However, none of them were present for Spain’s first tie, assuming that the team would still be in the tournament over the weekend. When Spain lost, immediately sending Nadal into retirement, it meant no high-profile guests were there for his farewell ceremony.

Despite their absence, Nadal’s old Big Four rivals did send video messages to be played during the presentation. The Davis Cup later posted their full tributes on social media, including Djokovic’s video after he ended up missing the event.

The retiring Spaniard was clearly moved by his rival’s words, sharing the video to his Instagram story. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Nadal wrote to his old adversary, adding a heart emoji.

In the video, Djokovic said: “Rafa. First of all, congratulations on your amazing career. Your family, your team, yourself should be extremely proud of everything that you have achieved throughout your career that lasted more than 20 years.

“In the tennis locker room we will miss your warm-ups, your sprints, your jumps, your incredibly competitive parchis – the games that you had with tour team before your matches.

“We had a lot of fun times sharing the locker room. I just hope that today, even though it is a sad day for tennis, it is a sad day for Spain and sport in general that you are retiring.

“But at the same time, I hope that everyone will celebrate your career because there is so much to embrace, so much to celebrate.”

Djokovic also praised the 22-time Grand Slam champion for his passion. He continued: “I think more importantly, you would agree with this, is the mark that you left behind in terms of the connection with the people, in terms of how you inspired millions of children around the world to grab a tennis racket.

“How you conveyed your passion and love for the game, how you carried yourself on the court, how you’ve shown respect to your opponents, to the entire tennis ecosystem throughout the course of your entire career.”

After discussing Nadal’s legacy, he shifted focus to their personal rivalry. “I’ve been very honoured and thrilled to be called your rival,” he said.

“Over the last almost 20 years we’ve played more than 60 matches. I have learned so much in our encounters and thank you very much for also making me the player that I am and that I was over the last 20 years.”