Rafael Nadal: the ultimate warrior with an eternal legacy

Last week, one of the greatest players of all time called time on his miraculous career.

'Rafa' the role model is adored worldwide for his warrior mentality between the confines of a tennis court. From humble beginnings in Mallorca, the Spaniard never forgot his roots, what his family, team and the word 'respect' meant to him. It showed on and off the court as this global icon was a gentleman to everyone from tournament staff to his rivals. The ending of every single press conference was "thank you very much," there were countless hours of signing autographs, posing for pictures, greeting fans.

He remains an inspiration within the lockeroom, past and present, an inspiration to fellow athletes and to millions of supporters, which was prevalent in the extensive global coverage of his emotional goodbye on Davis Cup duty in Malaga.

"I play each point like my life depends on it," once said Nadal. The intensity of his practices were a sight to behold, you could hear him giving every shot all his might, even in training drills.

His tenacity given any obstacle was unmatched. Any scoreline, Nadal could never be counted out. The 'banana' forehand, with immense avalanche revolutions on the ball, had to be seen in person to believe the trajectory and velocity, it was the key weapon in a complete game. You name it, the kick serve, the skyhook backhand smash, punchy volleys, cutting slice, he had it all. The Spaniard's ability to retrieve the ball, to turn defence to attack courtesy of a sharp sprint and flick of the wrist, was truly gobsmacking.

The champion's mentality and extensive shot repertoire assembled a career belonging in the very upper echelons of all sport.

Since turning professional as a 15-year-old in 2001, Nadal spent over 2,500 hours on court in 1308 ATP matches. The 'Big Three' gladiator's 1080-228 match record yielded 92 career titles. The first trophy lift came in 2004 on the clay courts of Sopot, Poland, and Nadal soon burst into the global sporting spotlight with his maiden major at Roland-Garros 2005. By this point, it was crystal clear this left-hander was going to leave an astonishing legacy, breaking into the Top 10 that very season, where he would remain for a record 912 consecutive weeks until March 2023.

In 2008, shortly after edging perennial rival and eventual close friend Roger Federer in a pulsating Wimbledon final (consistently mentioned in the 'best matches of all time' conversation), Nadal became world No.1 for the first time. In total, the 38-year-old spent 209 weeks at the summit of the sport.

22 of 92 titles were Grand Slams. Roland-Garros was Rafa's Parisian kingdom, as he lifted La Coupe des Mousquetaires an unprecedented 14 times with a mind-boggling 112-4 winning record. An all-surface champion, Nadal also won the US Open four times and collected majors twice at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

The 22 Grand Slams are two more than Federer and the same as Steffi Graf, one behind Serena Williams and two behind another key rival, Novak Djokovic. Just like Djokovic, Nadal is one of five players to achieve the singles career 'Golden Grand Slam,' with his gold medal at Beijing 2008 holding the key.

The 'greatest of all time' debates rumble on in the distance, however, it's pretty unanimous across the board that Nadal is the 'King of Clay.' Between 2005 and 2007, he went on an astonishing record 81-match unbeaten run on the terre battue (an Open Era record on any surface). During 2017-18, Rafa prevailed in 50 consecutive sets on the surface. Year in, year out, the Nadal dominance also crushed it on clay away from Roland-Garros, with 12 titles in Barcelona (leading the tournament to name their Centre Court in his honour), 11 titles in Monte-Carlo and 10 crowns taken in Rome.

The numbers, the stats defy logic, especially considering Nadal's incessant battles with injuries. Multiple stints on the sidelines denied him at least 11 more appearances at the majors, but he kept fighting, kept finding a solution, somehow masking the pain.

The vehemently patriotic Mallorcan was always particularly pumped up when competing in national colours. Five Davis Cup titles (definitely find highlights of his 2004 final teenage heroics against then world No.2 Andy Roddick), Olympic gold in singles (2008) and doubles (2016), he was flagbearer for Spain at the Rio 2016 opening ceremony.

All of this sustained success, the longevity spanning across three separate decades, is even more impressive given the 'Big Three' era he became embroiled in alongside Federer and Djokovic. With every crop of youngsters wading in, this all-conquering triumvirate dazzled the sporting world with these riveting rivalries.

Federer recently confessed in his Instagram tribute that Nadal made the Swiss "reimagine" his game, so much so that he changed the size of his racquet head in an attempt to gain an edge. "You challenged me in ways no-one else could," confessed Federer. "On clay, it felt like I was stepping into your backyard, and you made me work harder than I ever thought I could just to hold my ground." The Box Office rivalry of force versus finesse culminated 24-16 in Nadal's favour.

Over to the lung-bursting, gruelling, energy-zapping, human highlight reel epics with Djokovic. The majority of their 60 matches defied belief, they continued to elevate the sport to different levels with the Serbian edging a compelling 31-29 head-to-head.

All three of Nadal, Federer and Djokovic acknowledge the other two made them better players, made them dig in more, fine tune their game to strengthen their weaknesses, to try and wrestle away the generational greatness.

After all the setbacks, the comebacks, the 'best of…' matches, Nadal chose to end his professional playing days on home soil in Malaga.

"I am at peace knowing I gave my all,” stated Nadal in November. “I began playing and practising at the age of seven. Although I started at three, it was around that age I began to devote more time with passion, love, and the determination to excel.

“I am not the type to say, ‘No, I wouldn’t change anything,’ as that seems arrogant to me. Of course, I would change aspects, but one thing that has been crucial for me is that I will leave the professional tour with the calm and personal satisfaction of having given my best almost every single moment.”

There couldn't be a more Nadal quote out there – brimming with the sacrifice and heart that made him one of the all-time greats.

Back to Malaga and Nadal signed off with his speech to the crowd; "The way I'd like to be remembered most is as a good person from a small village in Mallorca. Just a kid that followed his dreams."

Just a kid from Manacor, sure, but 'Rafa' the role model, the icon, the warrior will always be so, so much more.