Badosa on Nadal's retirement: "Now we have Carlitos".
In a recent interview with AS, Paula Badosa, who went from contemplating retirement to becoming world number 12 at the end of the year, spoke about the imminent retirement of the greatest Spanish tennis player in history: Rafael Nadal.
Although she made no secret of her sadness at the news, she did take the opportunity to call on all Spanish fans to transfer all their support to their new champion-in-training, Carlos Alcaraz.
She declared: "The truth is that it's sad, because, in the end, you never think this moment will come. And in the end, it's someone you've admired so much, who is your idol, who is your role model...
So now you see that it's coming to an end, and it's very sad. At the same time, it'll be very moving, but it's a shame and you realize how quickly time flies, don't you? Two days ago, we were watching his final against Roger, and now it's over.
But I think it also shows that we have to make the most of every moment, of every athlete, and make the most of him too. Now we have Carlitos and we have to take care of him and value him as we should."
Tennis: the little-known truths about the offseason, between rest, stress and physical survival 
What if tennis lost its soul? The case of robotized officiating, between tradition and a dehumanized modernity 
Features - Saudi Arabia, injuries, war, and business: the fascinating underbelly of tennis revealed by TennisTemple 
Davis Cup: between reforms, criticism and national culture 