Rafael Nadal congratulated by Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon, and others in F1 fraternity as he announced his retirement

Fernando Alonso and his former Alpine teammate Esteban Ocon showered praise on tennis legend Rafael Nadal after the latter announced his retirement from the sport on Thursday, October 10. The Spanish legend is regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time and he has multiple records to his name, including 22 Grand Slams.

Nadal won 14 titles at the French Open and was nicknamed the "King of Clay" for his prowess on the surface. The 28-year-old had been only sporadically active since the middle of the 2022 season as he had been battling numerous injuries to his body.

On his Instagram account, Nadal posted an emotional video bidding farewell to the sport. Following this, many athletes not just from tennis but F1 as well paid tribute to the Spaniard's career and success on the court.

Another Spanish legend, two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, congratulated the tennis icon on his career and wrote in an Instagram story he posted,

“Thank you so much Rafa, all the best for whatever comes.”

Meanwhile, Alonso's former Alpine teammate Esteban Ocon said Nadal had been an inspiration, saying,

"An incredible career and a real inspiration for me and for all sportsmen and women of this generation. Gracias por todo Rafa."

Former McLaren driver and Aston Martin ambassador Pedro de la Rosa also paid tribute to his fellow Spaniard and wrote on X (formerly Twitter),

"GRACIAS. Siempre."

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When Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz sang praises of Rafael Nadal

Fernando Alonso once hailed Rafael Nadal as the greatest athlete in Spanish history due to his achievements on the tennis court.

Speaking with BBC, the Aston Martin driver said in 2015,

“In Spain, he is the biggest sportsman probably in history. When you are a very nice guy outside the sport as Rafa is, that’s how you get the people with you and how you make the people love you. Every victory, every championship that he gets is just a sense of proudness to be Spanish because he represents us in a way."

Meanwhile, Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz, ahead of the Miami GP this year sang praises of the former World No.1's attitude on-court inspired him a lot,

“Definitely Rafael Nadal. I think he’s one of the best athletes and sportspersons in the world. His attitude towards injury and also his attitude on court, never give up attitude but then, be a super nice humble guy out of it after being a super competitive guy inside makes him, I think, a very special athlete.”

Rafael Nadal will play his final event, the Davis Cup Finals, in front of his home fans in Malaga in November and would look to cap off his career by making his country proud one last time.