Cristiano Ronaldo's emotional farewell to Rafael Nadal: 'It has been a privilege to witness your journey'

Cristiano Ronaldo praised legendary tennis star Rafael Nadal following his retirement announcement on Thursday (Oct 10). Nadal, known for his support of Ronaldo's former team Real Madrid, retired after an impressive career that included 22 Grand Slam titles. Ronaldo expressed his admiration for Nadal's remarkable journey, hailing him as one of the greatest athletes in the history of sports.

Mil gracias a todos
Many thanks to all
Merci beaucoup à tous
Grazie mille à tutti
谢谢大家
شكرا لكم جميعا
תודה לכולכם
Obrigado a todos
Vielen Dank euch allen
Tack alla
Хвала свима
Gràcies a tots pic.twitter.com/7yPRs7QrOi

"Rafa, what an incredible career you've had! Your dedication, passion and incredible talent have inspired millions around the world. It has been an honour to witness your journey and be able to call you a friend. Congratulations on an amazing career! Enjoy your retirement,” Ronaldo wrote in his tribute to Nadal.

After an incredible journey, Nadal will officially hang his racket after the upcoming Davis Cup. The tournament in November will be his last as a professional and he will go down as one of the finest tennis players in the history of the game. During his more than two-decade-long career, Nadal won 22 Grand Slam titles, including 14 French Open titles.

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He also won two Wimbledon and two Australia Open titles in his prime which saw him become one of the finest players in the history of sports. Nadal also won four US Open titles despite the hard court not being his favourite surface.

Nadal’s dominance on the clay courts of the French Open was highlighted by his impressive record in Paris. In 116 matches at the court, he won 112 and only ended on the losing side four times. Djokovic was the only tennis star to beat him twice at the Roland Garros.

To add to his illustrious tally, Nadal also won the Olympic gold medal in men’s singles at the Beijing Games in 2008. However, he failed to win the ATP World Tour finals in his two-decade-long career.