Rafael Nadal bid farewell to the Madrid Open, and he got the commemorative trophy, marking his five wins at the event.
The Madrid Open was never a place where Nadal played his best clay tennis. It's mostly due to the altitude, which speeds up the game more than the Spanish legend would really like, but he still dominated at the ATP Masters 1000 event.
He won it five times in his career, the best mark of any player. However, it's also a relatively young event, so not many people have won it. Nadal's final run there was a solid one.
He made it to the fourth round, where Jiri Lehecka beat him. It was a solid match, but the Spaniard was just outplayed by a younger player who really wasn't afraid of the occasion. After the match, Nadal addressed the crowd, and the event was preparing a tribute for him as well.
It was an emotional moment, as his family was also in attendance, but he held his own pretty well. He also received a commemorative trophy to mark all five of his triumphs at the event.
"I’d like to thank Feli [López], Gerard [Tsobanian] and Ion [Tiriac], and everyone who made it possible for the tournament to be played in Madrid. It’s amazing for all the Spanish players and I’m sure the next generations will continue to enjoy the atmosphere here. Thank you so much everyone for helping me have this moment."
Nadal won the event for the first time in 2005 when it was an indoor event on hard courts. Many fans forget that this event started as an indoor event played back-to-back with the Paris Masters at the end of the season.
David Nalbandian famously won them back-to-back in 2007. The second time Nadal won came in 2010 when it was already a clay event. Then he won it in 2013 and 2014, and the final title in the Spanish capital came in 2017 for the Spaniard.
After his match against Lehecka, Nadal enjoyed his last trophy presentation in Madrid.
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