That final in Paris proved to be an emotional experience for both: For Gauff, it was her first appearance in a major final, and a tough learning moment after being routed by Swiatek 6-1, 6-3. Nadal, on the other hand, was turning back the clock in his straight sets victory over Casper Ruud, 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 to extend his lead in the Grand Slam race.
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But beyond the 38-year-old’s historic achievements and countless records in tennis, it’s been Nadal’s human qualities that have impacted Gauff the most.
“Off the court he was always speaking to me, always saying congratulations to me whenever I did well,” she revealed. “It’s something that is very rare when you come across top players (who do that). I don’t know, I just felt things he would do, he went out of his way.
“I remember at one point he said congratulations to me the year I went to the finals of the French Open. I kind of did a double take, because I couldn’t believe he was speaking to me.”
Nadal confirmed that his final professional event will see him representing Spain one last time at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga—marking the end of a legendary career that was also marred by knee, foot and abdominal injuries. Some of Nadal’s most significant and emotional victories have come in national competitions, from his 2004 Davis Cup breakthrough, to his two Olympic gold medals from the 2008 Beijing Games (singles) and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games (doubles).
