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After ten days of touring Latin America, Nadal closed the series of exhibition matches at the Monumental de México which confirmed the anticipation that the winner of 22 Grand Slams arouses wherever he goes. The last chapter was experienced by Rafa together with Casper Ruud in the Plaza de Toros Monumental de México in front of 30,000 fans. The southpaw prevailed 7-6 (7/5) and 6-4 in a breathtaking setting. Nadal, who won one of the first titles of his career, the Acapulco Open in Mexico in 2005, greeted his fans as follows: “It’s an unforgettable feeling to live in such an environment in Mexico. I can only say thank you for your unconditional support, it’s a country that has treated me like another Mexican. It’s hard for me to say goodbye.”
The tour kicked off on November 23 in Buenos Aires. Nadal and Ruud met in Belo Horizonte, Brazil and Bogotá, Colombia with a pair of victories for the Spaniard. On the 27th, the Norwegian prevailed in Quito, Ecuador. And Rafa also played an exhibition against Alejandro Tabilo in Santiago de Chile.
Before confronting Ruud, Rafa made some disturbing statements: “I don’t feel like a foreigner in this country, I’ve never been to the Federal District, but I’ve been to other parts of the country. People have treated me spectacularly and I love the way of life, the desire to have fun. I hope I have time to fully explore this country. I want to enjoy my stay here one hundred percent because it will probably be the last time I play in Mexico. Acapulco 2023 is not in my plans and the 2024 season seems very far away”.
Rafa insisted on the theory that has long governed his professional career: “The main thing right now is to be able to get to major tournaments in full physical condition.. I continue to enjoy myself day after day and continue to have goals that excite me professionally. I will try to reach them until the body or mind says enough. For the time being, that hasn’t happened, so I want to continue. I’m happy doing what I do, I love competing on big stages and the people’s affection pushes me to continue,” she said. And he gave reasons for him to place himself in the same position Federer, Djokovic and himself: “The three of us have arguments for being able to consider ourselves holders of that” title “of the best in history. For me personally, it’s something that doesn’t make me lose sleep over because I think we’ve surpassed everything we could have imagined to achieve. With our achievements, we have taken the sport to the next level and the debate about who is the GOAT is more your issue,” said Rafa.
