"He just kept doing that" - Pat Cash highlights what made Rafael Nadal so different from other tennis players

After retiring following a record-breaking career, Rafael Nadal has been heaped with more praise by fellow Wimbledon champion, Pat Cash.

The Spanish legend called it a career at the 2024 Davis Cup, where he represented Span for the final time. The 38-year old lost his singles match against Netherland's Botic Van de Zandschulp, and was honored in an emotional ceremony at the end of the day's proceedings.

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Nadal's ability to adapt made him special, says Cash

Several members of the tennis community paid their respect to Nadal following his retirement. Among them was Australian tennis legend Pat Cash, who pointed out how the 14-time French Open Grand Slam champion brought so much intensity to the game despite his constant evolution.

Nadal has brought something to the game of tennis that we’ve never seen before. He’s very, very special,” Cash said in an interview with Tennis Majors. “I’ve always said that if I had one person to play for my life, one match somewhere, it would be Nadal. Because if an alien came down from outer space and said, ‘OK, I know how to play tennis. I’ll beat [anyone], give me your best’, you’d throw Nadal out there. Go on, handle his slice serve, try to handle this top spin.
"He just plays like nobody else. His competitiveness, ferociousness. Every season was interesting because you’d watch him, you’d go, ‘what’s he changed now? What’s he improved now?’ He just kept doing that.
“He kept changing his serve, getting it better. Kept doing different tactics, doing this, this and that. Top players tend to do that. You go, either improve, or you stand still, as they say, and he was great at that.”