Rafael Nadal reflects on how he wants to be remembered after retiring from professional tennis at the Davis Cup in Malaga.

Ugo Humbert: “It's the greatest victory of my career and the best moment I've ever experienced on a tennis court. It was incredible, I train for this and that's what I kept telling myself throughout the third set. I wanted the story to end better than it did last year.nnI also thought about the match against Zverev, it gave me strength and I'm really proud of myself. Jérémy (Chardy, his coach) had said to me, above all, don't do what you did in Davis Cup, trying to overplay (Humbert lost against Alcaraz in September).nnBut everything was in the court. I was hitting winner after winner, and I was ultra-aggressive from the return. At the start of the second, I started to miss a bit, and he started to play a bit better. I think I'd used up so much energy that I had a little backlash and I fought until the middle of the third to get through it.nnAfter that, I talked to myself the whole third set, talking to myself. I needed to talk to myself to tell myself that I was with me, that I was there, that I wouldn't give up until the end. It worked, it felt good and I felt it was the right solution.nnIn any case, with my game on these surfaces, as on grass, I can really annoy the best in the world. After that, in the Davis Cup, he played an incredible match. I didn't have too many chances, he made me forced everywhere and I didn't see the light of day.nnThis was a different match, with the incredible support of the crowd. I'm also happy to give them (the fans) the victory because it was such an important moment for me. To share it with them was just fabulous.nnI love playing the best players in the world. That's why I train for. I love these conditions at Bercy, my favorite tournament. These are the matches I love to play.”

Alexander Zverev : ”I mean, every time that we played (with Arthur Fils), they were very high-level matches. He's an unbelievable player. He's super young still.nHe has the potential to be a Grand Slam champion. He has so much power on the ground strokes like nobody else. He's a nice guy.nnI wish him nothing but the best. He beat me in Hamburg, which is my hometown. So, unfortunately, I'm sorry I had to beat him in Paris.nnI love this atmosphere. I love when it's a full stadium. I love when it's super loud.nIt gives me, you know, great energy. Of course, I didn't expect, you know, German flags to be everywhere here. So, it was still fun to play.nnI always say that, you know, some players really struggle to play in France. They really struggle to play in Paris because the crowd is very loud. The crowd is very for the French players.nnTo be honest, I absolutely love it. So, the more, the better. I think you guys are an amazing crowd. I always enjoy it (the atmosphere with the Franch crowd).nnAnd I think every player needs to understand that we are in France here. When I play in Germany, the crowd is for me. When we play in the United States, the crowd is for the Americans. And it's totally fine. And I think all the players should understand that.”

Carlos Alcaraz: “I think I could play better, that's obvious, but with the level that I had today, I think I competed, I gave everything, I fought until the last point. I have to congratulate Hugo, I think his performance has been really high. The way he hits the ball is unbelievable, it is amazing.nnEvery time that he plays against me, I feel like he increases his level, he plays a really high level of tennis, I think he impacts even more. So, congratulations to him and good luck.nnPlaying against a French player, one of the best French players that France has right now, they were great (the fans).nI had really great points, they were cheering on me a little bit, they stood up and clapped my points, so I appreciated it honestly. The crowd was really respectful, so it has been a really good match.”

Taylor Fritz's on-court interview following his loss to Jannik Sinner in the final of the 2024 US Open.nnSpeakernNow it's time to hear from our finalist, American Taylor Fritz. It's been a long time since we had an American in this match, Taylor. I know it wasn't a victory today, but it was a win overall.nHow would you describe the run?nnTaylor FritznYeah, it's... It's been, uh... It's been an amazing two weeks, and...nFirst off, congrats to Jannik. He played a great match. Congrats to his team.nIt's really impressive. He was too good. I mean, it's amazing.nnBut I want to say thanks to my team. My coach, Mike, Wolf, Morgan. My parents are here. Just my whole team. It's amazing to have such a great support system around me. They really make this possible.nnAlso to my other coach, Paul, who's not in the box today. But, yeah, it's been an amazing run.nnAnd thank you to the fans for everything this week. Being an American at the U.S. Open is just incredible. Feeling the love all week. Thank you so much.nnI know we've been waiting for a champion for a long time. I'm sorry I couldn't get it done this time. But I'm going to keep working, and hopefully I'll get it done next time.nSo thank you.nnSpeakernCongratulations, Taylor. You're getting closer. You're going to get one.