Fernando Verdasco shares heartfelt photo with retired legend Rafael Nadal

Former Spanish player Fernando Verdasco shared a memorable picture with the former world number one Rafael Nadal. The 41-year-old was once regarded as one of the best Spanish men’s tennis players in the singles category but never managed to fulfil the potential.

Verdasco finished his career with just seven titles and no Grand Slam titles. His most impressive performance in a major event came in the Australian Open in 2009, where he was knocked out after losing in the semifinal to his fellow countryman Nadal with a score of 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 6-7, 6-4.

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In a post on his official account on the social media platform Instagram, he shared a memorable picture with the former world number one Nadal with a caption: "What a legend. So many memories together."

The 38-year-old, who is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men’s tennis in the singles category in the Open era, having won as many as 22 Grand Slam titles, has recently retired from professional tennis after taking part in the Davis Cup. The legendary tennis star struggled with fitness concerns, especially towards the latter stages, which forced him to stay out of action for a considerable amount of time.

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Nadal missed six out of his last eight Grand Slams. He stayed out of action for nearly 12 months in 2023 and returned to the court earlier this year but failed to produce positive results consistently. His only appearance in a mega-event this year was in the French Open, where he was knocked out of the competition in the first round after losing to reigning world number two Germany’s Alexander Zverev with a score of 6-3, 7-6, 6-3. Nadal’s final match was in the Davis Cup, where in the singles category, he lost to Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-4.