Italian Tennis Federation chief Angelo Binaghi heaped massive praise on Rafael Nadal and called him a better human being than his rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Nadal retired from the Davis Cup this year. His last match was against Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp in the quarterfinals. He became the second player from the Big 3 to retire, after Federer, who played his last match at the 2022 Laver Cup.

He has often been praised for his off-court behavior, with colleagues, tennis pundits, and fans lauding his humility despite achieving so much in his career. Binaghi however compared this trait of Nadal to Federer and Djokovic.

What is the hardest task in tennis? Probably everyone would agree that it’s to beat Rafael Nadal at the French Open. Jordan Thompson was no different as he recalled the time Nadal ‘whipped’ him in the first round of the 2022 French Open.

Thompson said how after he got off the flight he was very nervous after knowing that he would be playing a ‘fifth-seed Rafael‘ in the first round because, ‘the hardest task, in tennis by a country mile, I think, is to take down Rafa at the French Open‘.

Nadal restricted Thompson to just two games in the three sets. As expected, the 38-year-old reached the final and won the title, his 14th French Open, and his 22nd Grand Slam title.

It was also his last Major, as injury kept him on the sidelines before it eventually forced him to call time on his career. Nadal retired by bagging the second-most Majors in men’s singles after Novak Djokovic‘s 24.