Rafael Nadal, who announced his retirement at the age of 38 on Thursday, was not only the "king of clay" but also reigned on every other tennis surface as he accumulated 22 Grand Slam titles. Nadal's even-keeled and humble demeanour, on and off the court, endeared him to fans. While his defining quality was a grim ability to tough out marathon wins, he clearly enjoyed playing and competing and showed humility in victory and poise in defeat. As the tennis great prepares to draw curtains to his illustrious career, one of the greatest footballers of all time, Cristiano Ronaldo also wrote a heartwarming post on Nadal's retirement.
"Rafa, what an incredible career you have 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 an emotional post announcing his retirement, Ronaldo said: "The important legacy is that all the people I have met during these 20 years have a good human memory of me. At the end of the day, the personal issue, education, respect and the affection you can treat people with comes before the professional issue, because that is what remains."
Nadal was born on the island of Mallorca in June 1986. His father Sebastian was a businessman, his mother Ana gave up working to raise her children.
Nadal turned professional at 14 and made his Wimbledon debut in 2003 at 17. At 18, Nadal was part of the Spanish team that won the Davis Cup, playing, and winning, one singles match in the final.
Nadal won his first major title at his first French Open, two days after turning 19. He won his last, a 14th Roland Garros title, 17 years later.
As a youngster, he played in tank tops that showed off his bulging arms and kept his hair in place with bandanas.
Nadal amassed titles despite playing in an era which also boasted Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, tennis's dominant "big three" for more a decade.
His scrappy baseline style contrasted with the elegance of Federer and the all-round game of Djokovic.
Federer faced Nadal in 14 Grand Slam finals winning only four, the Swiss player ending his career with 20 majors, two less than the Spaniard.