"Rafael Nadal was an example not only in sports but also as a person, it's sad when such worthy people leave" - Veronika Kudermetova
Veronika Kudermetova spoke on Rafael Nadal leaving tennis, lauding the example the Spaniard set for others. The 38-year-old bade farewell to the sport at the Davis Cup Finals.
Nadal played the last match of his career against Botic van de Zandschulp, which was the opening match of the quarterfinal tie between Spain and Netherlands. The 22-time Grand Slam champion ended his illustrious tennis chapter with a 4-6, 4-6 defeat.
In a recent interview with Russian publication Championat, Kudermetova spoke about the Spaniard's retirement, which she called sad.
"I read the news about how the farewell ceremony went. It’s sad, of course, that such legends leave the sport. Nadal was an example for us all, not only in sports, in tennis, but also as a person with a capital P. It's sad that we and the new generation of tennis players will no longer be able to see him play on the court. It's sad when such worthy people leave the sport!" the Russian said.
Veronika Kudermetova had a disappointing 2024 season, as she won just 16 out of 41 singles matches. The Russian's best performance was reaching the semifinals of the Korea Open and she also made it to the last eight of the Credit One Open in Charleston.
Kudermetova's singles struggles in 2024 saw her suffer a massive drop to 76th in the WTA rankings. She fared much better in doubles with partner Chan Hao-ching, winning the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. The duo also reached the final of the China Open, the US Open semifinals, and most recently, the last four at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, among other achievements.
Rafael Nadal played just 20 singles matches in 2024 before retiring
Rafael Nadal played 20 singles matches in his final season, starting with a quarterfinal finish at the Brisbane International. The former World No. 1 was then out of action for a few months due to injury before returning to action during the clay season.
Here, he reached the fourth round of the Madrid Open while suffering second-round exits in Barcelona and Rome. The Spaniard then endured his worst-ever outing at the French Open by losing to eventual runner-up Alexander Zverev in the first round.
Nadal's best performance this season came at the Nordea Open in Sweden, where he reached the final before losing to Nuno Borges. Before his retirement at the Davis Cup, the 38-year-old competed at both the singles and doubles events at the Paris Olympics.
The Spaniard lost to rival Novak Djokovic in the second round of the singles event while his doubles run ended in the quarterfinals, where Carlos Alcaraz was his partner.