The end of play on Tuesday 30 April 2024 came with one of the most special moments in the history of the Mutua Madrid Open. The midnight that bridged 30 April and 1 May 2024 will be remembered as the moment when the five-time champion (2005, 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2017) and most successful player at the tournament said his competitive goodbye to the Caja Magica.
With the floodlights on and the roof deployed, the Manolo Santana Stadium provided the atmosphere for Rafael Nadal’s last dance for the spellbound fans of Madrid after twenty appearances in the Spanish capital. The Mallorcan wrote the final chapter of his MMOPEN legacy against Jiri Lehecka.
His clash with the Czech player lasted two hours and two minutes (7-5, 6-4). A win would have meant victory number 60 for the Spaniard in Madrid, but his count will now forever remain at 59 triumphs and just 15 defeats since his first match against Álex Corretja in the Madrid Arena in 2003.
Nadal, who touched down in Madrid with the sole expectation of continuing to scale up his return to competition upon his last appearance in the Spanish Masters 1000, regaled his faithful fans with more joy that he could ever have imagined when he arrived on the clay of the Caja Magica one week ahead of time.
The baptism of fire for the young Darwin Blanch in round one (6-1, 6-0), revenge one week on against Alex de Minaur (7-6[6], 6-3) and his epic three-hour battle with Pedro Cachín (6-1, 6-7[5], 6-3) proved to be the last three times in Madrid that the umpire would utter the words “Game, set and match: Nadal”.
Nadal and the Mutua Madrid Open, the Mutua Madrid Open and Nadal. Tennis lovers will never forget the magical moments the two of them have conjured up over the years. The cries of ‘Vamos, Rafa!’, the fist pumps after astonishing shots, and the looks to the fans for a spark of inspiration when his powers seemed to be deserting him.
The moment that nobody was ready for, as much as we all knew the end would be marked by a defeat, came in the most special way possible; starting on a Tuesday and ending on a Wednesday. But Nadal was able to say farewell to Madrid on his own terms, feeling competitive and on a court on which, on his clay, he has left a footprint that will remain for eternity.
