The Spanish Rafael Nadal said that the tribute he received this Sunday in Roland Garros meant “the most exciting moment” of his career.
“I do not like to be the center of attention, I have suffered a little for that, but I have enjoyed it a lot,” said the former player at a press conference minutes after the ceremony, which he defined as “perfect.” “As he had dreamed of it,” he added.
He acknowledged that the plate with the footprint of his right foot, his name and number 14 (the times he has won Roland Garros) that was discovered on the floor of the central track and that he will remain forever surprised him: “I thought it would be only for this year, but I have no words to express what it means, it is a gigantic honor that means having that on the most important track of my career.”
“Having a little piece of me forever at the Philippe Chatrier excites me just to think about it,” he said.
Nadal reiterated his thanks to the French public, who made him feel “one more” despite being “Spanish and showing off, and recalled that they allowed him to take the Olympic torch in the Paris Games.
On the presence of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, Nadal stressed that it can be a good message for young people “in a moment of much tension and radicality in the world.”
“I think we have shown that the opponent can be loved and while wanting to win it with all your strength and strive to the fullest to get it,” he said.
He said that now, already removed from tennis, he doesn’t care about nothing that Novak continues to add titles, something that “four years ago would have had importance.”
Nadal said that Paris’s tribute was necessary, that allows him to move on to something else in his career and recalled that he has not played a racket since he ended his career.
“I did not get tired of tennis, I ended up loving it, but my body could no longer. I closed a stage of my life and since I do not have a great ego, I do not need moments like today, I live well in the anonymity of everyday life,” he said.
“But this tribute has excited me, it has been special and I want to thank everyone who has made it possible,” he added.
With EFE information.
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