I was fortunate enough to watch Rafael Nadal’s final professional match on TV with my fellow academy mates. The impact he has had is too immense to put into words.

However, there was a significant part of his farewell speech that deeply resonated with me:

“The titles, the numbers are there, so people probably know that, but the way that I would like to be remembered more is like a good person, from a small village in Mallorca,”

“I had the luck that I had my uncle that was a tennis coach in my village when I was a very, very small kid, and a great family that supports me in every moment … I just want to be remembered as a good person, a kid that followed their dreams and achieved [even] more than what I had dreamed.”

These words encapsulated the value he places not just on his achievements but on the virtues of being remembered as a good person. Nadal’s choice to share these sentiments at the pinnacle moment of his career reflects a profound value that has deeply touched me, marking a precious and honorable end to his storied career.