"I didn't even grunt" - Maria Sharapova fondly revisits Rafael Nadal memory from 6 years ago after Spaniard's retirement

Maria Sharapova reminisced about a match with Rafael Nadal after he retired from tennis following his final match at the Davis Cup. The Spaniard hung his racket at Malaga after Spain lost to the Netherlands on November 19, 2024.

Nadal squared off against Botic van de Zandschulp in a best-of-three quarterfinal match at the Davis Cup; however, he fell short of getting the better of his contender and lost the match with a score of 6-4, 6-4.

Following this, Carlos Alcaraz brought the hope of seeing Rafa one more time on the court by besting Tallon Griekspoor with a score of 7-6 (7-0), 6-3 in the second singles match. However, after this match, Alcaraz and Marcel Granolles were trounced by Van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof in the deciding doubles tournament, which was followed by Nadal's farewell.

Amidst Rafael Nadal bidding goodbye to the sport, Maria Sharapova recalled a story of playing a match with him and called herself tight. She reposted one of her videos playing with Nadal in 2018 on her Instagram story and added:

"I was so tight during this rally with Rafa, I didn't even grunt🤣" wrote Sharapova.

Maria Sharapova’s Instagram story

Maria Sharapova reacted to Roger Federer's emotional message for Rafael Nadal ahead of his retirement

Maria Sharapova recently shared her reaction to Roger Federer's heartfelt message for his on-field archrival and friend, Rafael Nadal. Federer reflected on his rivalry with the Spaniard and said that he inspired him to be more passionate about tennis. He took to Instagram and wrote:

"Vamos, Rafa! As you get ready to graduate from tennis, I’ve got a few things to share before I maybe get emotional..."

Let’s start with the obvious: you beat me—a lot. More than I managed to beat you. You challenged me in ways no one else could. On clay, it felt like I was stepping into your backyard, and you made me work harder than I ever thought I could just to hold my ground. You made me reimagine my game—even going so far as to change the size of my racquet head, hoping for any edge."

Here is the full message:

This post captured the attention of Martina Navratilova, who was impressed with the message and commented under the past:

"🙌CLASS."

Rafael Nadal concluded his career with 22 Grand Slam titles, bagged 14 French Open singles titles, and also lifted the Australian Open trophy twice. Along with this, he also nabbed victory in Wimbledon twice and won the US Open title four times.