"I'll remember how Rafael Nadal made me feel"- Mark Petchey revisits Spaniard's kind gesture despite being a "huge star";calls it "great life lesson"
Former tennis player Mark Petchey reflected on Rafael Nadal's humility, sharing a past anecdote. His admiration for the Spaniard came in light of the latter's recent retirement announcement.
Nadal stated that he would be retiring from tennis following the knockout stages of the Davis Cup in Malaga. He is in Spain's squad for the tournament, where they fill face Netherlands in the quarterfinals.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion shared video across various social media platforms to announce his decision, stating that it was the right time for him to retire.
Several players from the tennis fraternity shared warm wishes for the 38-year-old, lauding his remarkable tennis career. Former player Mark Petchey emphasized Nadal's modesty by recounting a memorable anecdote from the past at the French Open.
"So as the list of accomplishments get trotted out for Rafa, I won’t remember those. What I will remember is this. It was 2007/8 I can’t quite remember but he was already a huge star. I was working at Roland Garros as a commentator having worked with Andy (Murray) and been around Rafa on the practice courts and he knew me a little from my previous commentary work. I was and still am, a very marginal figure in the world of tennis. Even more so then," he shared on X.
Petchey said that the Spaniard recgnized him from a distace and walked over to greet him when he was about to be presented with a birthday cake.
"I was working on the computers in the media area and it was his birthday. There was a group of about 6 people around him as he was about to be presented his cake somewhere in the building. He happened to look across at the same time I looked to see who was coming. He saw me, broke out of the group, walked over to me about 20 yards to say Hello and ask how I was doing, making the others wait while we chatted," he wrote.
"Not saying anything that others don’t know but there are very few elite famous people, let alone athletes who would have done that. I will remember his tennis but I will forever, remember how he made me feel. It’s a great life lesson for everyone. He never changed," Petchey added.
A look at some of Rafael Nadal's remarkable achievements in light of his retirement announcement
Rafael Nadal is widely considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time, boasting 22 Grand Slam titles throughout his illustrious career. Over nearly 23 years, he secured 14 French Open titles, four US Opens, and two each at Wimbledon and the Australian Open.
The Spaniard achieved a career Grand Slam by winning the US Open in 2010, completing a career Golden Slam as well, having previously secured Olympic Gold in Beijing in 2008.
Moreover, the 38-year-old secured an impressive 91 ATP Tour titles, including 36 Masters 1000 titles. Nadal is also a two-time Olympic gold medalist (singles: 2008; doubles: 2016) and remained the World No. 1 for 209 weeks.
Only his arch-rival Novak Djokovic stands above him with the highest total of 24 Grand Slam titles. Nadal's most recent on-court appearance was at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he reached the second round in singles before falling to eventual gold medalist Novak Djokovic. He also exited the doubles competition in the quarterfinals, where he partnered Carlos Alcaraz.