"Let me believe it" - Rafael Nadal joking "next year I'm coming back" after Madrid Open loss draws emotional reaction from retiring Alize Cornet

French tennis star Alize Cornet recently shared her emotional response to a joke made by her idol Rafael Nadal about his participation in the 2025 Madrid Open. This comes despite 2024 being Nadal’s last year on the ATP tour.

At the 2024 Madrid Open, Nadal battled past American wildcard Darwin Blanch, 10th seed Alex de Minaur, and Argentine Pedro Cachin to reach the fourth round, where he was eventually defeated 7-5, 6-4 by Czech Jiri Lehecka.

In a post-match on-court interview, the Spaniard lightened the mood with a joke that he was coming back to Madrid next year.

"This is a joke, next year I’m coming back," he said.

This comment caught the attention of former World No. 11 Alize Cornet, who herself is set to retire after making her 20th consecutive appearance at the 2024 French Open.

The 34-year-old shared the clip of the Spaniard’s joke on Instagram and captioned it:

"Let me believe it just for a moment."

Alize Cornet on Instagram

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Rafael Nadal sent heartfelt message to Alize Cornet following her retirement announcement

Rafael Nadal at The Netflix Slam media interaction

Alize Cornet was deeply moved upon receiving a congratulatory video message from her role model, Rafael Nadal in the wake of her retirement announcement.

Speaking in a recent interview with French channel CANAL+, Cornet shared her decision to retire after the 2024 French Open.

"I'm going to play my last Roland Garros in a month, right now, and I'll retire immediately. It's been a long time since I've thought about it, but to announce it officially, it's a little something," Alize Cornet said during the interview (translated from French).

"My ranking has dropped a bit, it also allowed me to take a little more step back in my career. So, of course, I don't want to be pushed towards the end, I also want to decide about my exit. And there, I feel that I have a little less to give in terms of desire. And for me, it's the right time to say goodbye to tennis," she added.

During this conversation, Cornet was presented with a video message from her idol, Rafael Nadal, where the Spaniard lauded the former’s exceptional career and extended his best wishes for her future endeavors.

"Hello Alize. I just want to congratulate you for an amazing career. I just want to wish you all the very best. Whatever you decide to do in the future, you're going to be for sure doing very well. But it's your day, enjoy and all the best for the future," the Spaniard said.

Overwhelmed by the 22-time Grand Slam champion’s heartfelt tribute, Cornet expressed her deep respect for him, citing him as her inspiration and asked the interviewer to forward her the video.

"Oh, f**k. I'm shaking and all. I think I've only spoken to him once in my life, so that's to say how much I admire him. He was an example for me. Wow, I'm shocked right now. Could you send me the video, please?" Alize Cornet said.