Rafael Nadal’s announcement that he was retiring from tennis was greeted with sadness on Thursday on the Spanish island of Mallorca where he was born and lived throughout his career. Regional television station IB3 will dedicate three days of special programmes to the 38-year-old and local newspapers on the Mediterranean island splashed huge headlines on their online editions to the news that Nadal would retire after the Davis Cup finals in November. Domingo Bonnin, a 60-year-old fisherman, said that while he was happy for Nadal because his retirement was “well deserved”, he also felt “sadness because we are losing a reference in sports and as a person.”

“Effort, courage, constancy, perseverance are values that society does not take for granted and he is a clear exponent of these values, of constancy, of things well done, of effort, of sacrifice,” he told AFPTV on the streets of Palma de Mallorca, the capital of the Balearic Islands.

While other athletes from the island have reached the top of their sport such as motorcycle racer Jorge Lorenzo, or tennis player Carlos Moya who was number one in 1999, none have matched the global impact of Nadal, with his 22 Grand Slam titles and his two Olympic gold medals.

“He is an icon, worldwide, not only in Mallorca,” said 59-year-old waiter Jose Angel Gallego.

‘Great legacy’

Nadal’s ties to Mallorca run deep. He opened his tennis academy and a museum in his hometown of Manacor where he started playing tennis and was coached by his uncle Toni Nadal from 2005 to 2017.

His wife, Maria Francisca Perello, is from the island which is home to around 920,000 and is one of Spain’s top tourist destinations.

“He leaves a great legacy, not only as a sportsman but also as a person because he is a very noble guy, very family-oriented and for me an example for all young people and for all sportsmen and women in general,” said 63-year-old civil servant Jose Martinez.

“It is something that had to happen, he has done everything there has been and to do in the world of tennis, and sooner or later all great athletes have to retire,” he added.

Tomas Patrick Carmody, a 32-year-old restaurant manager in Palma, echoed this view.

“If the time came and if he considered that it was the right time, even if it hurts all of us who have followed tennis for many years, well, nothing, we will have to accept it and move forward and new generations are coming, are arriving in force and hopefully enjoy as much as we enjoy Rafa,” he said.

Some said the time had come to pass the torch to Spain’s new tennis star, 21-year-old Carlos Alcaraz, the current world number two who is from the southeastern region of Murcia.

Elena Ferrer, a 46-year-old architect who was visiting Mallorca, said she hoped Alcaraz “achieves the same or even more” than Nadal “because they are both number one for us”.

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