Rafael Nadal At Peace With Retirement As Davis Cup Leaving Party Falls Flat

I have never liked the word retirement,” Serena Williams said in an interview with Vogue two years ago. “Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution.” Rafael Nadal sounded ready for his next chapter too in a press conference before the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga. Twenty-four hours later, he bowed out of the game after the Dutch beat Spain 2-1.

“It doesn’t make sense to keep going, knowing that I don’t have the real chance to be competitive the way I like to be competitive,” said the 22-time Grand Slam champion on Monday. Perhaps Mike Tyson might learn a thing or two from that stance although starring on Netflix is not something foreign to the Spaniard either.