"There will be a gaping hole"

The great champion, the American Chris Evert, a woman who won 18 Grand Slam titles in her brilliant career, also spoke up.

Evert, who has always spoken carefully about the successes of the Spanish tennis player, believes that his departure from the tennis stage will be a great loss for tennis.

"Thank you Rafael Nadal for the stellar years of lifting tennis up to the warrior level, for your unmatched sportsmanship and humility, for never changing as a person despite all your success. There will be a gaping hole in tennis now because there has never been anyone like you….Good luck to you," Evert said on social media.

Nadal, as he announced, will be on the court again next month. He will be part of the Spanish team that will play in the Davis Cup final tournament in Malaga.

It is known that the first opponent of Spain in the quarter-finals is the Dutch team, so Nadal will play against Botic van de Zandschulp in singles.