Rafael Nadal’s legacy is nothing short of magical. He largely dominated the modern tennis scene alongside arch-rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. The latter half of his career took multiple hits due to prevalent injuries. Despite his strong will to overcome such physical challenges, the Spaniard couldn’t overpower a final hip injury blow he suffered at the Australian Open in 2022. The Spanish maestro eventually retired after his stellar two-decade-long career, but, he hasn’t stopped putting a smile on the faces of his admirers.

Few players over the players have been as gracious as Rafael Nadal, on and off the court and one of his gracious acts has come to the fore again. Recently a junior player from Russia named Alina Korneeva opened up about an unprecedented experience at the ‘Rafa Nadal Academy’. In an interview with the YouTube channel Bolshe, Korneeva said: “I’m going to tell a story. When I arrived at the academy in December, for the first time, or at the end of November, I saw him and he kissed me. It is very common for them to kiss in Spain. I didn’t cry, but I told my mother: “Rafa kissed me! Do you understand that at all?” Showcasing heartwarming gestures isn’t new for the Spaniard though.

In 2020, Nadal was caught in a scary incident after he accidentally hit a girl ball kid during his second-round encounter against Federico Delbonis at the Australian Open. The ball slid in her direction after Rafa tried to return the Argentine’s serve. However, the Spaniard quickly rushed over to console the ballkid and kissed her. His chucklesome act was later uploaded on the tournament’s official X handle and earned praises from fans worldwide.

Nadal tried to make a comeback earlier this year, but couldn’t restore his dominance on the tour and his hopes for a doubles gold medal alongside countryman Carlos Alcaraz at the Olympics saw no avail. Exhausted by the underwhelming results, the Spanish star decided best to retire and heap rewards of a life beyond the sport. He aired his much-impending retirement on October 10 and ultimately bid farewell at the Davis Cup in Malaga.

Despite his retirement, Rafa is the trending highlight of 2024. Even search engine giant Google verified that.

Spanish superstar Rafael Nadal, although walked away from the sport that earned him incomparable fame and status, he never lost the impact he had on people. His legacy is one to be remembered for generations to come. With a shock retirement announcement, it was quite natural for the internet users to scour information on him, trying to understand why the world was going bonkers amid the surprise revelation.

Subsequently, in a video released by Google on YouTube, the search engine giant revealed Rafa as one of the most searched topics for the year, merging a short clip of the Spaniard bidding adieu to the crowd in the 2024 mashup.

With Nadal gone, fans can expect that the Spanish legend will make the most of his post-retirement. Luckily for us, it’s likely that Nadal will return to the sport as a spectator or showcase his talents once again at an exhibition event in the event.