What is it? Wow, look at the lobster!
Did you wet yourself?
All right.
-Have you told them? -No, not yet.
I'd better tell them.
That you're retiring?
I should.
Hey papa!
But is that…
now or will you go there to play and all that?
Hm.
Ready?
Whoa ho ho!
Grandma's very good at this!
Grandma's very good.
Hey, she's a champion!
-Papa! -Wait, hold on.
I think I have to retire.
After Roland-Garros.
What will you do? Will you play the tournament?
I think that'll be difficult, Mom.
So, don't tell anyone, that goes without saying.
No, I mean, no one, okay?
Well, we have to, I mean…
accept reality…
in the end.
I think we've stretched the party…
long enough.
More than you thought, am I right?
Yeah.
Are you feeling okay?
I feel how I feel. What can I say?
Damn the fucking net.
I hate that fucking net, seriously.
I've never missed that in my life.
Never. Normally, I don't even have to go back to it.
He's playing well and, suddenly, he does two shitty shots.
Shit, he goes into this…
spiral.
There's just no way out.
Why do you move so slow, man?
Fuck.
Stop complaining.
-'Cause in the end… -That doesn't help me.
Calm down.
You get into this… and you can't get out.
I know it's not easy to enjoy, but try.
In Paris it has to be like that, no exceptions, but you should start now.
You don't know how many training sessions like this you'll have left.
Hell, in the end, that's what's cool.
Maybe in four or five years, you look back…
and shit, you'd like to go back to that moment
because you didn't enjoy it, you know?
And those moments, well, they don't come back.
Rafa Nadal hasn't set foot on the center court at Roland-Garros
in 715 days.
This is his 19th appearance here.
The first one, when he was an 18-year-old, back in 2005.
This is the most special marriage
in the history of world sports,
that of Rafa Nadal and the court where he has won 14 times…
and where we hope it won't be the last.
Don't miss this one!
-Ugh. -Okay, hang in there, Rafa.
Yeah.
In Rafa's career, there are times
when he is very hard on himself.
In these moments, you try to be his friend, not his coach.
There have been some complicated and difficult years.
And even though I wasn't on his team,
I was still aware of what he was going through.
Worst year: 2015.
It was the first time in my career
that I played the clay court season without winning a single tournament.
I had less energy, less ability to concentrate…
Something, obviously, was not working properly.
I'd go out on the court thinking, "Let's see what happens today."
-Rafa! -Rafa, come on!
Come on, Rafa!
He has always lived with anxiety,
but not as much as during that time.
I remember he wasn't able to stay focused.
When he threw the ball, he couldn't see it.
I had no control.
That's out!
It's the shot he needs to get into this match.
I thought, "I'm making a fool of myself here."
-Missed it. -Another error.
And that match is a mirror of…
what my day-to-day life has been like for months.
-Fault! -Game, set, and match, Djokovic!
The king of clay has been dethroned at Roland-Garros.
His dominance has come to an end. He's out at the quarterfinal stage.
After 70 victories and two losses on the clay of Paris,
Nadal has fallen to tenth place in the ATP rankings.
Around that time, I almost stopped
playing tennis for a season.
I showed up tired from my daily routine.
But…
Toni wasn't very…
let's say he wasn't
a big fan of breaks.
Actually, he thought that the best way to recover
was to carry on playing tennis.
I always say, "I've never seen anyone improve by resting."
Because when I lose, I think I must keep on training.
He's throwing it down.
-Was it a tough session? -This is much harder than playing.
This way, you make sure that, when you get to the court,
you're already in shape.
Or not.
-Ready? -Yes.
I talked to Toni.
And I told him he had to rest more.
He had to manage his training load better…
But I guess Toni didn't like that.
All I said was,
"We need to work more."
He always thought that anything that meant protecting Rafael was
weakening him as a competitor.
I was more worried about the mental part because everything is connected.
In his daily life, it affected him,
not being able to get out of that state of anxiety.
I remember that, at the time, he couldn't be without water.
We couldn't go on a car ride if he didn't have water.
He'd feel like he was suffocating.
If I didn't have a bottle of water in my hand,
I couldn't swallow my saliva.
My throat would go dry…
…and I would choke on my own saliva.
I knew it was anxiety, but I couldn't find a solution.
That's the shot that he can't clear the net with.
I tried to make myself believe that things were getting better,
but no, not really…
I couldn't do it.
You could make a compelling argument
that Rafa Nadal is not the same player anymore,
and never will be.
If you have anxiety, you have anxiety.
I didn't think too much of it.
I thought, "Well, if we work, we'll make it out of this."
Rafael Nadal denied once again the quarter-finals.
And for Nadal, disappointment.
That's a long walk down that hall where he has been triumphant before.
Those two years were, I'd say, the most difficult of my career.
After that, I had to go…
to see…
a psychiatrist.
He said that it was probably due to all these years of high demand
and living constantly with the feeling of stress.
My professional relationship with Toni, I mean, it wasn't bad.
But maybe I needed
for my mind to hear a different message.
So, it was decided
that adding another person onto the team was necessary.
My father called Toni.
I wouldn't have been able to do it on my own. Mm.
It was emotionally tough for me.
A very difficult decision.
Because I thought that…
I… I had a gut feeling
that bringing someone else into the team would hurt Toni.
You've been doing more of the same
and maybe there comes a time when you need to try something else.
Toni is my brother, but, uh…
to me, my son comes first.
Maybe Toni wasn't really happy about it,
but we understood that it would benefit Rafa.
And that's when, well, the idea was brought up
of bringing Carlos on board.
When I was a kid, Carlos was someone I admired very much.
WE ARE WITH YOU CARLOS
Carlos is the first number 1 in the history of Spain,
and he's from Mallorca.
When you see Carlos Moyá, what do you think?
That I'd like to be like him.
I joined the professional tour at a very young age.
The only person I really knew was Carlos.
Hold each other's hands?
There. Like that.
I always had the feeling that Carlos wanted the best for me.
Are you playing in this tournament?
He was a good guy, humble, quiet.
I always tried to help him, to give him advice if he asked.
-This thing moves up. -Yeah?
Depending on how I throw it, it slides up when I'm playing.
You have to put that red tape there.
I saw that he was a player capable of beating anyone on the circuit.
We're looking at the fourth-best player in the world
and he is playing a 16-year-old and getting outhit.
-Out. -And he's done it!
What a sensational moment this is.
It was clear that he was going to surpass me.
But I never tried to hold him back or pull him down.
Hey, you have to go to the left! Where's he going?
Hey, it's to the left!
This dude is a son of a bitch!
But when he decided that I should join the team,
I was a bit surprised.
I went to dinner with him in Palma.
We talked for three hours about what he thought I needed,
and what he thought he could contribute.
He hadn't won a Grand Slam in two years.
I told him, "I think you can win Grand Slams again,
and you can be number one again."
So I left the meeting convinced that…
it was a good decision for him to join the team.
Carlos joined the team at the end of the year.
The plan was for Carlos and Toni to work as a team.
In the end, I understand that if…
the results aren't good enough and…
you want change,
well, I think that a change can be good.
He was already 30 when I joined.
Now he had to forget what had worked for him in the past.
We changed the training system a little.
He thought that we needed to train for less time,
but in a more specific way, on the elements that I needed.
We were always told that Rafa needed to play more matches
to gain confidence.
But he is so good that I didn't think he needed so many matches, you know?
He can use the first Grand Slam matches to get into the rhythm,
and gain confidence.
The first tournament we go to is the Australian Open.
"I'm happy to return to the competition,"
said Rafa Nadal.
It's difficult for Rafa.
He's not gonna get rid of Uncle Toni, but this is a decision that Rafa wanted.
He wanted Carlos there.
In terms of the press or people's opinions,
Carlos is gaining the leading role.
Very strong, mentally very strong, believing in himself,
which is the Rafa we wanted to see.
In 2017, from the very first moment,
we could see that something was coming back.
I've never seen anyone, absolutely no one,
have as much confidence in Rafa
as Charlie Moyá.
Many times, before the matches, I would say to him,
"Remember who you are."
"Make your opponent see who he's playing against."
"What you've done is already incredible."
"Make him see that history."
The tenth is in the bag!
The king of clay has reclaimed his throne.
From this moment on, I think his perspective changes.
A thought crosses his mind,
"I'm Rafa Nadal again, the one I've been all these years."
Hold it there.
Now push harder, okay? Push harder. Come on.
Truly amazing.
Six thousand people watching Rafa Nadal's training.
I've got goosebumps.
Rafa! Rafa! Rafa! Rafa!
Stay positive and find a way.
Because you will find it.
You come to a court just to train
and the whole court gets fired up, huh?
They chant your name.
Beautiful, right?
How the hell is this guy going to want to stop playing tennis?
-Well, yeah. -After this.
Come on, win the point, Rafael.
Well played set! Come on, that's it, let's go.
-Very good, man. -Good quality. Good.
Rafa is training very well.
He's still doing three-hour sessions a day,
he's won every set he's played…
-Kiss. Come. -Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss.
-Go with Daddy? -Give Daddy a hug.
Give Daddy a hug. He's very sweaty.
No, give Daddy a hug. Yeah, a hug.
Have you decided
whether this will be your final French Open?
Because everybody is assuming it will be,
but I don't know if you've decided that for sure.
Maybe the last one,
maybe not, but…
But let's explore.
The logical thing is for me to retire, but…
I'd feel really sad if I didn't really give it a try.
"Look, my body has evolved in a positive way these last few weeks."
"The family is happy,
I'm happy playing, I'm having fun."
"But to say that this will be my last Roland-Garros,
I can't be 100% certain."
I can perform, you know?
Hello! Hello, everyone.
Thank you, and welcome to Roland-Garros, here in this iconic venue
that will host the placements for the main draw.
A very important draw.
And right from the first match,
he could play against any player in the world.
The draw is not complete. We still need the seeded players.
But it's already very interesting.
-Totty, totty… -Totty, totty? I love the "Totty, totty."
I think Rafa's gonna get to the quarters. What if he plays Alcaraz?
You don't know who he's going to play.
Now the seeded players number three and four. Marie-Jo.
-Number 4. -Alexander Zverev.
The news of the day,
which is the bad luck that Rafa Nadal has had in the Roland-Garros draw.
His first match will be against Zverev, number 4 in the world.
It's a nice draw?
-It is what it is. -What?
-Easy draw, right? -Easy draw.
Zverev.
-Okay. First game? -Sure. The first.
All right.
Well, obviously, it's not what you want.
-How is he handling it? -Good.
Actually, he said, "I came to win the tournament."
Rafael! Rafa!
-You are the best player. We love you. -Rafa!
-I love you. -We love you so much in France.
Isn't it nice to see Nadal, the real Nadal,
back out there?
I think Nadal can fight to be number one in the world again.
Bringing Carlos into the team,
I think it was good at the beginning.
I remember we were training in Manacor,
and Toni was at a conference abroad.
Someone checked their phone…
and said that Toni had made a statement.
Toni Nadal will no longer be coaching Rafael Nadal next season.
And the press said that…
he was no longer working with me.
That this was his last year. Well…
That's how we found out.
Rafa didn't know, I didn't know. He didn't say anything to anyone.
We found out through the press.
It wasn't what I was looking for when I brought Carlos into the team.
To me, it wasn't Carlos in, Toni out.
He's going to be parting company with his Uncle Toni,
who's coached him for how many years?
27 or 28 years.
I think that the most natural thing would have been for him to tell us
before the press.
But, he must have had his reasons. Nothing I can do about it.
I like to feel useful in life.
I don't like being somewhere where, in the end, I feel…
"Well, I can't really contribute much."
That's why I made the decision to leave.
That must have been a shock for him?
I don't think so.
-No? -No.
I felt…
a bit shocked, of course.
Toni was my uncle. And…
the influence he had on me was
greater than any other person had ever had.
In a way, I was scared
of how I was going to react without Toni.
In 2017, I won the US Open.
We finished the year as number one.
I think he evolved
and changed his perception of himself.
And I think that's the reason for his later success,
after he turned 30.
I think that, in some way,
his belief in himself gives him an extra boost.
Fault!
Game, set, and match, Nadal.
Seventeen Grand Slams now.
I lived the last years of my career,
I'd say, with a little more of a feeling of freedom.
And less tension than with Toni.
He learned to relax a little.
…to have a day-to-day life where he could enjoy himself.
He was more mature. By 30, you know who you are.
You stop being a kid, so to speak.
He lived with his parents until…
2018, I think.
And he would have lived with his parents much longer.
But…
In fact, it was me who suggested we live together, and he was like…
"Why?"
I was scared of…
of that decision.
But once it happened,
it was great.
She's the woman I wanted to start a family with.
And without a doubt, her support was very important to me.
I was happy during those years of my career.
I really enjoyed seeing myself competing at the highest level.
Rafa Nadal, he's got 18 in total.
Wimbledon number five for the Serbian superstar.
Novak Djokovic's got 16. Roger Federer with 20.
It's remarkable that we see them
produce the tennis that they do.
They're playing in their prime, they're all playing on every surface,
they're all winning all four majors…
You say, "Boy, how lucky we are."
And then you say, "Well, no, it's not in a vacuum."
The one reason they're staying out there is because they were pushing each other.
"Well, shit, this guy's still winning multiple majors a year
when he's closer to age 40 than he is to 30."
Like, "Why not me?"
Three sets to two.
He's the US Open champion!
For the first time,
the difference between Nadal and Federer, just one.
They're on their feet.
Rafael Nadal serving for a 13th Roland-Garros title
and a 20th Grand Slam title.
Game, set, and match, Nadal.
In 2020, Rafael Nadal makes it 20.
Defeats his great rival, Novak Djokovic.
It's the miracle in Melbourne.
An improbable comeback.
Twenty-one major titles.
The greatest player of all time.
I was having an incredibly good feeling.
I wanted to do everything I could to keep it going.
But after the Australian Open final,
my body wasn't okay, I wasn't feeling great.
Hey, wait. Wait, wait…
That leg will get better?
-How are you, Rafa? -Rafa, how's it going?
I don't know, we'll know in a few days, I don't…
-Feeling good about it? -I don't feel anything.
Thank you, Rafa.
The truth is that we are all very surprised
that he has been able to play as long as he has.
That foot has been degenerating over the years.
That's why there came a moment when that foot said,
"I can't take it anymore."
Those were complicated months.
Oh, he's got it!
The apprentice finally beats the master.
He played in Madrid
and lost.
He played in Rome
and lost.
His foot issue seems like it's taken a toll on him.
So he went to Roland-Garros with many doubts.
Twenty-one Grand Slams, thirteen Roland Garros titles,
the Spaniard Rafael Nadal!
I was in constant pain.
I think that for all of us,
we were at a point where it seemed like my career was…
over.
It was very clear his body couldn't take it anymore.
For once, not getting the drop shot right, Nadal.
And well mopped up by Jordan Thompson.
He played the first match in pain,
but, somehow, he won.
Before the match, I gave him a little anesthesia to play.
But then he told me,
"Listen, I really don't know how we're going to be able to…
to finish this tournament."
"I'm in pain."
The reality now was that the foot no longer responded to those treatments.
When I left the match, my father…
had to carry me like this,
on his shoulders, to the room.
I was in a lot of pain.
I didn't sleep at all.
Not even for a minute.
And I was thinking, nonstop thinking.
First thing in the morning, I called Ángel.
I asked him,
"Is there any way to numb the sensory nerve
without affecting the motor nerve?"
And he said, "Yes, we can give it a try."
But from a medical point of view,
this is as far as we go.
Because you can tear the tendon.
They injected me here, here, here.
In all the nerves that affected this whole superficial area of the foot.
I didn't know if it would really work,
but I went to play.
This is the one we were waiting for.
And the moment has now arrived.
The two of them are up against each other for the 59th time.
You knew he was doing extreme measures to get himself to play.
It turned out he was feeling nothing. His foot was numb.
Quite a risky thing, isn't it?
To have no sensation.
If your foot starts to go the wrong direction, you won't even know.
Come on!
He knows that the pain is there.
But it was clear to him
that if I gave him enough to be able to compete,
he was going to compete to the death, and he did.
With Rafa, you know that every match is "live or die."
The level of the tenacity brought out to the court.
That match was unbelievable.
And he's done it! Rafa Nadal!
He has made it to the Roland Garros semi-finals.
He doesn't feel his foot and he's winning this?
I mean, what are you gonna tell me next?
He's gonna play blindfolded, and he's gonna win it also?
It's like, come on!
Rafa is on the verge of clinching that 14th title,
here at Roland Garros.
Rafa has given absolutely everything.
He has gifted us everything he had.
I'm convinced that Rafa went out on that court that day
thinking that it might be his last tennis match.
Because otherwise,
I don't see it as physically possible.
The greatest becomes even greater.
The man who makes miracles on a daily basis
has just written another page.
I don't know if it was a miracle, but close.
He'd been through a lot just to get there.
But I have to be honest, I did have his retirement story written,
like a lot of us did.
And I had it on my computer. And as he came to the microphone,
the crowd was expecting something, and I know all the journalists were.
We were all kind of ready to…
…hit "send" on these stories.
I don't know what can happen in the future,
but I'm gonna keep fighting to try to keep going.
So, many thanks. Thank you very much, everyone. Thank you.
"Delete."
Or "save for later." You know?
That was a sign that we were gonna go to some form of bitter end.
Do you think you should have retired
after Roland-Garros in 2022?
Of course not.
Why?
I never wanted to stop.
I always wanted to keep going.
To me, it's very simple.
I'm exploring my limits.
Zverev?
Zverev is confident, we know that…
Exactly, that's what I'm telling you, right?
Today will be a great day.
-Thank you, Rafa! -Love you, Rafa!
He hasn't complained?
-Right now? -Physically.
No.
-Well, I don't know if that's good. -Not physically or anything else.
He seems calm.
Let's go see Daddy.
Daddy.
-Daddy! -Daddy!
We can bring a racket, but only one.
It's gray and very wet,
but we are gonna be shining some fabulous tennis.
If in a tournament it is worth going out there
to give everything and die for it,
then it is Paris.
The chances of him winning are very small.
Gonna be tough for Rafa.
He's put his body through so much over the years.
And 14 at Roland-Garros.
2005, '06, '07, '08.
2010.
'11, '12, '13, '14, '17, '18, '19.
2020 and 2022.
Rafael Nadal!
NEVER RETIRE PLEASE
You can never write Rafael Nadal off in Paris.
Come on!
The roof is shut on Chatrier,
so it's going to be even more of a cacophony of noise.
That was clearly his nerves.
What a start for Zverev.
Rafael Nadal hadn't dropped a set in practice.
He has dropped the opening set when it really matters.
I can't believe it, man.
It'll get better, you'll see.
Come on, Gus, have a little faith.
Despite everything that has happened in my career,
all the times I've been out of action,
all the times it seemed like my career was over,
always,
I've always kept the will to… to fight.
Come on. Confidence!
Come on!
Yes! Come on! That's it!
Suddenly, some momentum.
Come on, focus, focus! Let's go!
Come on!
What a hold that is.
Four brilliant points in a row for Nadal.
Now he sees it.
-Now he has faith. -Yeah.
He doesn't change, man.
There's another stunner!
We're going to see a tie-breaker between these two.
Nadal steals the point!
Oh, no!
Come on! Let's go!
Nadal just never goes away, does he?
Yeah, again he read the play, Zverev.
He's on the ropes though, here, Nadal.
Second set point for the German.
Two sets, love, Zverev.
Zverev now leads by two sets to love.
I wonder how much he's got left in the tank.
-He's tired now. -Yeah, he's very tired.
I never thought I'd be trying to play tennis
at the age of 37.
I know I don't need to prove anything to anyone.
Not even to myself.
But I can't help it.
This is my seal.
That's who I am.
Out!
Game, set, and match, Zverev.
Perhaps the last dance for Rafa Nadal at Roland-Garros
ends in defeat.
Now the sun comes out!
The sun came out!
Rafael Nadal!
Will he be back? We're unsure.
But what a legacy he leaves behind.
Fourteen times a champion here at Roland-Garros.
What did Daddy do? Do you know what Daddy did, Rafelet?
Wah, wah, wah…
Daddy went like this. Wah!
But anyways…
This record will be tough…
-Tough to beat? -Yeah.
I think it'll be harder, maybe I'm wrong,
but I think it'll be harder to surpass this one than Djokovic's 24.
I bet.
You never know, right? But if I had to bet money,
I think it'll take more time
for someone to surpass 14 Roland-Garros than 24 Grand Slams.
No, it's not hard. What you see stand out is not hard.
It's soft. Touch. Look, do this.
See? You see it swollen, but it's not hard, it's soft.
It's an alien, man.
He says he doesn't know if it's a good idea
to play at the US Open.
I just don't see it.
-Big balloons? -Those are balls.
-Papa. -There they go.
It's very nice outside.
It's really nice being here now.
When he arrived at Roland-Garros this year,
we thought he was going to say goodbye.
And then, since he saw himself training well,
he started thinking about going further.
But obviously, deep down, I thought,
"How are we going to continue like this?"
I think he likes to suffer
with the purpose of overcoming that suffering.
But at the end of his career,
I think the suffering no longer led to overcoming it.
It was suffering for the sake of suffering.
And that's what, I think, finally burned out the flame.
It's Finals Day in Båstad.
It's been a fair few matches where he's looked not quite himself,
looked almost down and out.
He's moving very slowly.
I think he had to go to the point where…
it got painful to see what he was becoming.
He needs to feel the limitations.
See balls that he once would have reached
and whacked for winners
no longer be reachable.
And to see levels of play that, for him, were once like breathing,
now become impossible.
Game, set, and match, Borges.
Well, after losing in Båstad,
Rafa wrote to us a few hours later.
The message says,
"Team…"
"I'm not really good at these things,
but today I really feel bad, I'm shattered."
"Apologies for today to everyone."
"Honestly, I haven't been able to find the energy to improve myself,
or at least try to."
"During the match, I decided to retire."
"Thank you all for everything."
"And although it doesn't make sense to apologize at this point in my career,
I do it because it's what I feel."
"A big hug to everyone."
After the match, he locked himself in the bathroom
and he was in bad shape.
It's in his DNA to keep fighting.
But it was in Båstad that he…
he saw that he wasn't able to…
do that anymore.
What did he say that made you feel, "It's over"?
Those words.
"I need to retire."
Not "I have."
Not "I want to."
"I need to retire."
Why? Just like that?
It was obvious.
He didn't recognize himself on the court.
At that moment, he saw that he couldn't give any more.
In a way, when you say, "I'm retiring…"
in the end, you're saying, "I surrender."
You stop being what you've been practically all your life.
You go back to being just the person.
Hi, everyone. Um…
Well, I'm here to…
let you all know
something that I've been thinking about,
uh… for a long time.
And imagining what it would be like.
I have decided that the Davis Cup final
is going to be my last tournament as a professional tennis player.
Rafa! Rafa!
Rafa! Rafa! Rafa!
I've never lost the hope that things would get better,
as it had happened many times throughout my career.
But not this time.
The question is…
"Why keep going?"
Welcome to this ceremony
in honor of Rafael Nadal.
I would be very unhappy
if I thought I hadn't done everything to fight until the end.
That has always been my biggest fear.
And now there is no fear… at all.
Rafa! Rafa!
Thank you.
VICTORY BELONGS TO THE MOST TENACIOUS
It's hard to start with just one person,
but, Toni…
you are the reason I'm here.
Thank you for dedicating a great part of your life
to wanting to be with me.
Training, talking, tricking me,
making me suffer, making me laugh,
and pushing me to the limit.
What we have experienced has not always been easy,
but it has definitely been worth it.
I have achieved my goal,
which is to give my all…
and to retire in peace…
at ease with what my career has been.
ROLAND-GARROS MEN'S SINGLES
Okay.