'Gracias Rafa:' Experiencing Nadal’s final farewell at 2024 Davis Cup

“Gracias Rafa”

Two simple words, displayed hundreds of times over here in Malaga this week, as Rafael Nadal prepares to take his final bow as a professional tennis player at the Davis Cup Finals 2024.

On bus stops, advertising boards and video displays, the same two words; a mantra for every person in this coastal city - and Spain as a whole. Their pride in the country’s greatest ever sportsman choosing Malaga to make his final appearance is almost palpable, even before you approach the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena, where the Billie Jean King and Davis Cups are currently being staged.

Our taxi driver lights up with excitement when we convey in a mixture of English and Spanish that we work for Tennis Channel - “Ah, you’re for Rafa!” he exclaims. I can’t follow much more of what he says (my entry-level Spanish just can’t keep up), but the vibe is one of pure joy - no surprise when you think of Nadal’s bond with his home nation.

Arriving at the Palacio de Deportes, the towering tribute to Rafa on the side of the neighboring Estadio Ciudad de Malaga is the first thing you see, whether player, media or fan. Around every corner, those two words again: “Gracias, Rafa”.

Fans have traveled from all over Spain to see their hero one last time. For many, he has quite literally changed their lives.

Silvia from Zamora, explains she met her group of friends purely because they were all Rafa fans: "I’ve come with a group of 13 people, from Alicante, Zamora and Paris. I believe everyone would say to him - Thank you so much.

"Thanks to him I have this little family from different parts of Spain. We have all met thanks to supporting him. And traveling together I saw so many parts of the world. And we want to thank him for his dedication, his efforts and for being a role model."

For others, it's all about the kind of player Rafa was. Aquilino from Alicante says he will never forget his first Nadal encounter:

"In 2004 we met Rafa in a Davis Cup semifinal against France. It was the first time we saw him playing, and we said, this one will be the number one in the world. He will be a champion, and he has actually been number one in the rankings and he will be forever because he will always be our number one."

Where we work in the on-site Media Centre, more desks are added and more rooms opened as the number of journalists, photographers and camera teams grow by the day. When we first arrived a week ago, the cavernous room was quiet, our voices the only noise echoing in the space. Now it’s buzzing with the chatter of a dozen different languages, the tapping of laptop keys and whirring of camera lenses.

The support staff are kept busy finding every spare place as another new arrival appears - the world’s media in one room, each with their own allocated spot to tell the story of this historic moment.

For everyone working here, it’s a time for their own personal moment of Rafa reflection: “It will be sad,” one security guard tells me when I ask how he’s feeling. “But I’m happy that I get to be here.”

Happy doesn’t seem a strong enough word for how many are feeling, myself included. When I took my seat on Centre Court to watch Rafa’s practice from the sidelines on Saturday, honored was the word that really sprang to mind.

The hush that descended on the arena was striking, a revered silence for a master at work. The only sound was Rafa himself, whether striking the ball or berating himself for a misplaced shot. For the lucky few of us allowed courtside, it felt like a pure privilege to witness.

And it wasn’t just us who were eager to be there. Fresh from their BJK Cup doubles win for Italy, Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani rushed through their post-match press conference so they could catch a glimpse of Rafa in full flow (and bring Jasmine one step closer to her much longed-for selfie!). Billie Jean King herself joined them, greeting Nadal with a double kiss as he came off the court.

But what’s the only thing in Malaga more highly anticipated than Rafa training? Rafa speaking, of course. We were kept guessing over the last few days as to when and where the traditional pre-event press conference for Spain would take place. In the end, demand was so high that no room at the arena was big enough to satisfy it. On Monday morning, much like a school trip, we decamped via coach from the arena to a hotel up the coast. The Slovakian journalist sitting next to me on the journey explained how she didn’t really need to attend, but she didn’t want to miss the opportunity to hear from Rafa.

From the glamorous 5-star surroundings to the roped-off walkway for the Spanish team to enter, the press conference had a hint of Hollywood about it - fitting for one of tennis’ true superstars. When asked to reflect on his career coming to an end, Rafa gave an answer that encapsulated his style - both as a player and a person:

“Everybody makes mistakes…. But at the end I achieved the most important thing for me, because I arrived at this day and I am at peace that I gave all that I had. I am not the kind of guy that says ‘no I will not change things’, because for me it looks arrogant. But I’m going to leave this professional tour with the personal satisfaction that I gave my best almost in every single moment.”