Rafael Nadal may have hung up his racquet in November, but his legacy still stands tall. His farewell was not ideal, as Spain lost to the Netherlands in their first round. Even though Carlos Alcaraz tried his best, Spain ultimately fell 2-1 to the Netherlands. Despite the loss, Rafa remained upbeat, keeping his chin up. However, there is one rivalry he’ll miss leaving behind.

Nadal bid farewell to professional tennis on November 19, leaving behind an impressive legacy of 92 titles and 22 Grand Slam victories. That’s a hard act to follow! Now off the court, Nadal is indulged in promotional activities, as he released his first post-retirement collaboration clip with Playtomic, a sports app that connects users with local tennis and padel players.

The app’s main feature is matching players of similar skill levels. However, using Nadal as their ideal player didn’t quite hit the mark in a humorous advertisement. The ad opens with Rafa saying he uses “Playtomic and it works great for me.” But in a fun twist, he quickly adds, “Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend this app. You’re supposed to find players at your same level…but I can’t find anyone.”

Nadal scrolls through profiles of highly skilled players, claiming to have competed against one player that didn’t go well. In the end, the clip shows Rafa searching for Novak Djokovic on the app!  “I’ve looked to see if there was anyone from the circuit, (while typing in ‘Nova’ in the search) but it seems not,” He added. The ad then humorously concludes with the tagline: “Playtomic, the perfect app…if you’re not Rafa Nadal.”

The rivalry between Nadal and Djokovic is well-documented, dating back to their first match in 2006 at Roland Garros and continuing through their battles into 2024 at the Paris Olympics. Djokovic leads their head-to-head record with 31 wins out of 60 matches, making him Nadal’s toughest opponent on the court.

Talking about Nadal’s rivalry against Roger Federer, the Spaniard dominated it, beating Roger in 24 out of the 40 matches played between the two, but Federer’s former coach Paul Annacone recently highlighted some of the drawbacks of Nadal’s game.

Former coach breaks down Rafael Nadal’s game

On December 3rd, Paul Annacone shared insights about Nadal’s game. During a recent episode of the Tennis Channel Live Podcast, Annacone noted, “Rafa’s only downside was also his biggest asset. His only downside was his humility, and that’s also his biggest asset. “There are times where I would look at him and wonder how he didn’t actually have a bigger ego.”

Annacone highlighted Nadal’s evolution from a defensive player to a more aggressive one. He remarked, “When Rafa was vulnerable, he didn’t crush the ball,” referencing Nadal’s last match against Botic van de Zandschulp. Annacone further emphasized that Nadal felt he had to be at the top of his game for every match, which led to tentative play at times. The 61-year-old, however, praised Nadal’s relentless pursuit of improvement throughout his remarkable 23-year career.

Nadal has now walked into the sunset of his career, leaving Novak Djokovic as the last man standing from their legendary era. Do you believe we will ever see these Titans play for fun anytime soon?