Nadal Bows Out: Jiri Lehecka Ends Spaniard's Madrid Run

Rafael Nadal bid farewell to the Madrid Open on Tuesday with his emotion hanging in the air after he was beaten in the last 16 by Jiri Lehecka thus making it the last appearance of the Spaniard at the tournament where he has won three trophies.

The 37-year-old 22-time grand slam singles champion and reigning five-time champion of the Madrid Open couldn’t find a way past the 30th seed Lehecka, losing 7-5, 6-4.

Nadal said "I am a very happy man. It is a special week for me, very positive and very emotional. I had the privilege just one more time I have to play here on this court,".

Nadal does not know when he's going to hang up his racquet this season, but as the 22-fifty one-times Grand Slam champion, his retirement is going on soon.

He has missed a lot of weeks and even months owing to physical issues that have troubled him for the last two years now, and he will be the one to make the call on whether or not he will be competing at Roland Garros in the next few weeks.

Lehecka and Nadal formed even game tally for the first 10 games of the match on Tuesday. The 22-year-old Czech then caught up making a break at love and holding at love to save the set in just under an hour.

Nadal yielded a break at the beginning of the second set which was ultimately the greatest blow of the match from which he never recovered as the tournament closed its curtains on one of its greatest champions.

The aftermath of the match saw a special ceremony on the Manolo Santana Stadium with the banners hung above the stands saying "Thank you Rafa" and symbolizing the years in which he has won the Madrid tournament.

This is a joke as I will be back next year said Nadal with the family inside the stands.

All I can say is that I'm grateful to everyone who has supported me professionally. It is not yet complete.

"What you've given me here has been a gift. The feeling I got from the Spanish people as a result of this Madrid trip... I was fortunate enough to work at my dream job as a child. I consider myself extremely lucky to have had the life I have. There is nothing more I could ask for."