Today is a day filled with multiple emotions for Madrid fans. At one point, they witnessed  Rafael Nadal‘s loss to Jiri Lehecka; on the other, they went through their favorite tennis legend’s last moment on Madrid’s clay court. However, more than sad, Nadal was overwhelmed with the support and love he received from his fans. In a heartwarming goodbye message, Nadal delves deeper into why “it means a lot to have been able to play here.”

As Nadal announced before, he played his last match today at the Mutua Madrid Open. After Jiri Lehecka defeated this Spanish ATP legend in round 16, it ended Nadal’s last attempt to bag his home tour’s trophy. However, emotionally, Nadal chose to thank his home fans, who always uplifted Nadal’s confidence with their support. The former world’s number-one ATP star said, “It’s exciting, of course. The people of Madrid have never failed me, what they have made me feel throughout these years is something that will stay with me forever. I have enjoyed it: three weeks ago I didn’t know if I would play an official match again, this is totally real… and I have been able to say goodbye here on the court and with a fairly decent level.”

Rafa continued to speak about how special it meant for him to play on the clay court of his home tournament. He said, “For me it means a lot to have been able to play here, in every sense: on a tennis level, on an emotional level. .. for me, this city and Spain have always meant support and energy that has helped me decisively.”

Despite leaving Madrid’s court with sadness, Nadal motivated his fans by revealing his next plans on the professional court. This Spanish legend dropped a confident plan, easing the pain of his followers.

Confident Rafael Nadal revealed his Rome plans amid talking about how he “missed Monte Carlo”

Rafael Nadal might not be seen on Madrid’s clay court but that doesn’t mean fans will miss out on seeing him on court again. After retrieving his confidence from this ATP Masters 1000 event, Nadal plans his Rome venture. Rafa said, “I’m gonna try to play in Rome. A very special tournament in my career. I won 10 times. I dreamt to play all these tournaments one more time, I missed Monte Carlo. But now I want to play Rome. And play well. Give myself a chance to make that happen. Today is an unforgettable day. Saying goodbye to Madrid. But my career keeps going. After Rome I will decide about Roland Garros.”

Rafael Nadal’s goodbye to his Madrid fans brought tears to many people’s eyes. Fans who stayed with Nadal’s decade-long journey in professional tennis felt that they crossed a significant period with the sport. Nevertheless, fans wish to remember this Spanish legend’s dominant on-court victories as they prepare their hearts to say goodbye to him after the season.