Tennis: Rafael Nadal will define the sport of tennis for years to come

It became dark in the hall, and now, well after midnight, the legs gave way. Rafael Nadal fell to his knees. In this position, crouching, he watched the video film under the hall roof. In the homage of images, he saw himself as a 17-year-old, leaping impetuously across the tennis court in his first Davis Cup competition. He saw the trophies he had won over time and the friends, colleagues and companions who, one by one, expressed their appreciation. Serena Williams and Andy Murray spoke, Conchita Martínez, Juan Martín del Potro, the footballers Raúl, Iker Casillas, Rodri, Andrés Iniesta, David Beckham, the golfer Sergio Garcia and of course the rivals of his biggest tennis battles: Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. It wasn’t just Nadal’s sister, who was surrounded by the family, that had tears streaming down her face.