Rafael Nadal didn’t say goodbye to Madrid in triumph, but he did leave the way we’ll remember him best: With a fight

As midnight struck in Madrid, the capacity crowd jammed into Manuel Santana Stadium stood as one. Together the fans gave Rafael Nadal, the greatest sportsman in their country’s history, one of the loudest ovations of his ovation-filled 20-year career. They wanted to experience one more emotion-drenched miracle win with him in the Caja Magica. After watching the 37-year-old pull off so many, here and around the world, why would they expect anything less this time?

For a few seconds, it looked like Rafa might make it happen. Or, more accurately, his young and possibly overwhelmed opponent, Jiri Lehecka, might do the job for him. The 22-year-old Czech had been the stronger player for most of the match, belting 33 winners to Nadal’s 14. But now he was serving for the victory at 7-5, 5-4, and serving to send Rafa off the court in Madrid, and possibly Spain, for the last time. Not surprisingly, he shanked a forehand long on the first point. The crowd only got louder.

On the next point, Nadal put a forehand pass at his opponent’s feet. It’s a shot that has turned the momentum in his favor countless times over the years. But Lehecka had seen it a few times before on this night, and he had the answer—a perfectly measured drop volley—every time. Despite his nerves, he pulled the same shot off again for another winner. It was enough to quiet the crowd, steady himself—and reimpose the melancholy reality that this wasn’t going to be a night for miracles. Three quick points later, Lehecka had one of the rarest prizes in tennis: A win over Rafael Nadal on clay.

“This is one of those times where when it arrives, it’s very difficult,” Nadal told the audience a few minutes later. “It’s a difficult day, but my body is giving me a signal that I should stop. Finishing here has given me so much pleasure. My dream was to finish here on court.”

WATCH: Jiri Lehecka ends Rafael Nadal's Madrid run in fourth round | MATCH POINT

Nadal’s body is telling him to stop, but it’s also telling him it may have a few more good weeks left in it. His three wins in Madrid were the most he’s had at a tournament in 2024. He beat a Top 15 player in Alex De Minaur, and survived a three-hour war of attrition against Pedro Cachin.

“Have been a positive week in all ways,” said Rafa, who plans to play in Rome next week. “The body, some muscles are tired now. I felt that [in] the match, but holded well.”

“I leave here with very positive energy in all ways.”

A glorious triumph would have been a fitting end for Nadal in his capital city, a place where he had won five times, and where, he said, “I received more love and support during all these years” than anywhere else. But even in defeat, Rafa went out the way we’ll remember him.

Before the match, he conceded that a win against such a hard-hitting young opponent was unlikely. At times, Rafa was handcuffed by Lehecka’s pace and late on his swings. But none of that stopped him from “fighting for every ball” and “trying his best in every moment”—two phrases he has repeated hundreds of times over the years as a way to describe his approach to the sport.

He stayed with Lehecka through the first 10 games before running out of gas in the 11th. He brought the crowd to its feet with a pair of big forehand winners, and bigger full-swinging fist-pumps. He saved three break points in an epic third game of the second set. Many of Rafa’s opponents have cracked after losing after games like that; credit Lehecka, who said he felt like he was in a different “universe” during this match, for keeping it together.

“Today is an unforgettable day in terms of saying, ‘Goodbye, Madrid,” Nadal said. But he won’t rule out playing Davis Cup later this year, which means he could compete in Spain again.

Still, even as Nadal was ending his time in that city this week, he was giving his difficult 2024 campaign its first bit of momentum.

“My career keeps going, and I have my personal goals that I have got in the next couple of weeks,” he said. “I want to explore if I have any chance to achieve that.”

Nadal’s farewell tour will likely not end in triumph, but it seems now that it will end with him on a court, playing tennis. He knows that he, and we, can’t ask for more than that.