Madrid Open: Rafael Nadal falls to Jiri Lehecka in final match in Spanish capital

Rafael Nadal expresses that he had an incredibly touching week after participating in his final appearance at the Madrid Open.

The ex-top ranked player who dominated five times in Madrid said goodbye to the competition with deep emotions as he lost easily to Jiri Lehecka.

The individual who is 37 years of age has given a signal that they intend to end their career after the season of 2024.

Nadal expressed his joy by saying, "I'm delighted," following his loss of 7-5 and 6-4.

Last week was a meaningful one for me. It brought forth a lot of optimism and stirred up my emotions. I was granted the chance to perform once again on this particular court.

I am grateful to all those who have aided me in my professional journey. However, my endeavors are far from over.

Even though Nadal didn't win, his previous achievements in the tournament were honored with a video dedication and he received a special trophy as a token of appreciation.

Nadal jested that he would return the following year, as his loved ones looked on from the seats.

He said: "I am grateful for the generosity you have shown me."

The feeling I have from my time in Madrid and the way the Spanish people make me feel is indescribable. When I was younger, I had the opportunity to work in a profession I am passionate about. I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to live the life I have. I am completely content with everything that has come my way.

Initially, Nadal showed his strong determination, but Lehecka landed the first hit when the score was tied at 5-5. After that, he continued to maintain his lead by holding to love, and consequently, Lehecka won the first set.

The player from Czech Republic, who is ranked 30th, kept showing superior strength over the tennis legend with 22 Grand Slam wins. She managed to break her opponent's serve at the beginning of the second set.

The audience at the Manolo Santana Stadium cheered loudly for their local player, but Lehecka managed to secure a victory by breaking his opponent's serve and winning with his first match point after playing for two hours and three minutes.

He is going up against third-seeded Russian player Daniil Medvedev, who beat Alexander Bublik from Kazakhstan with a score of 7-6 (7-3) 6-4.

At the moment, Nadal, who previously took a three-month break due to an injury, participated in the Barcelona Open at the start of this month after which he won three times in Madrid. This must have boosted his self-assurance about taking part in the French Open for one last time.

He has won the Roland Garros championship 14 times, but he was unable to participate in the competition due to an injury in 2023. This was the first time he missed the tournament in 19 years.

On the 26th of May, the French Open will commence, which is the second Grand Slam competition of the year.

In another part of Tuesday's events, Carlos Alcaraz, the previous winner, had a close call in his match against Jan-Lennard Struff, but managed to make it to the quarterfinals.

Spain's Alcaraz had to play a tie-break in the deciding set against the 23rd seeded German, just like in last year's final. Alcaraz failed to seize four chances to win the match at a score of 5-3.

The player ranked third in the world emerged victorious in the presence of their supporters, concluding with a 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-4) triumph that lasted almost three hours.

Alcaraz emerged victorious in the most recent two editions of the Madrid Open and has not lost a single match in his last 14 appearances in the Spanish capital.

The 20-year-old is set to compete against Andrey Rublev, the seventh seed from Russia, who emerged victorious against Dutch player Tallon Griekspoor with a score of 6-2 6-4 during his match earlier in the day on Tuesday.

At this time, Jannik Sinner, the number one seed from Italy, is continuing his journey towards achieving his fourth championship title in 2024. He recently won against Karen Khachanov, with a final score of 5-7 in the first set followed by his two wins in the second and third sets scoring 6-3 each.

After losing his initial set of the competition, the victor of the Australian Open responded impressively by securing a quarter-final encounter with Auger-Aliassime from Canada. Auger-Aliassime managed to pull off an unexpected victory against the in-form Casper Ruud from Norway.

Alexander Zverev, the fourth highest-ranked German player, who won the tournament in 2021, was defeated 6-3, 6-4 by Francisco Cerundolo.

In the quarter-finals, Argentina's 11th seed will compete against Taylor Fritz from America. Fritz, the 12th seed, won in straight sets against Hubert Hurkacz from Poland.

, recently wrote an article discussing the future of tennis amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In his piece, he highlights the idea of creating a tennis ‘bubble’ in order to limit the number of people entering and exiting the venue. This would involve players and their teams being tested for the virus upon arrival and then being isolated from society for the duration of the tournament. Fuller cites the success of the recent US Open as evidence that bubbles can work effectively, as not a single player tested positive during the event. However, he acknowledges that the cost of setting up such a system could be prohibitively expensive for smaller tournaments. Additionally, there are concerns about the impact on players’ mental health and the potential for injuries caused by limited practice time. Despite these challenges, Fuller suggests that as the pandemic continues to affect the world of international sport, bubbles may become the new normal for tennis and other sports.

Nadal received a round of applause when he entered the court for the final match. After the game, there was a ceremony on the court where Lehecka waited for his interview as the winner.

During the ceremony to celebrate his impressive career and five Madrid titles, Nadal had a smile on his face. However, not all his relatives were able to hold back their tears.

Lehecka was amazing - such strength, delicacy, and calmness.

However, at the conclusion of a highly promising week for Nadal with his sights set on the French Open, this was unquestionably his night.

Playing four games within six days, following only having played nine in the last 17 months, seems like a notable improvement.

Nadal exits Madrid without any visible injuries and has the chance to compete in Rome next week. Afterwards, he will shift his focus to Roland Garros where he will face the challenge of playing in best of five sets.