Rafael Nadal, a tennis legend, has already confirmed his retirement date. The 22-time Grand Slam champion will end his storied tennis career in the Davis Cup final this November. As the sports world has become emotional about the legend’s impending retirement, former India cricketer MS Dhoni’s old comment about Nadal’s praise has resurfaced. “I’ve always been a number two supporter. Not consciously, but it just happens. I used to support Andre Agassi, who was ranked second at the time. Steffi Graf was No. 2. Then there’s Nadal number two. Of course, he went on to become world number one,” Dhoni said on Tekplay’s YouTube channel in 2017.
“I think his never [say] die approach, even if it’s the last point and he’s losing, he’ll still give it his all, and that’s what’s crucial – not to give up until the outcome is there. That is why, in my opinion, Nadal never gives up and gives his all no matter what the circumstance is,” Dhoni went on to say in honor of the tennis legend.
Rafael Nadal’s announcement on Thursday that he was retiring from tennis was met with sadness on the Spanish island of Mallorca, where he was born and spent his entire career. Regional television station IB3 will dedicate three days of special programming to the 38-year-old, and local newspapers on the Mediterranean island featured enormous headlines on their web editions about Nadal’s retirement after the Davis Cup finals in November. Domingo Bonnin, a 60-year-old fisherman, told AFP that while he was glad for Nadal since his retirement was “well-deserved,” he was also saddened because “we are losing a reference in sports and as a person.”