"I was this overwhelmed kid, he could not have been nicer": Ashleigh Barty pays tribute to Rafael Nadal, describes first meeting

Rafael Nadal retired at the end of November and Ashleigh Barty is the latest fellow player who paid tribute to the legendary Spaniard.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion played his final match at the Davis Cup Finals and Barty recalled meeting him for the time back wehn she started her career.

"I love Rafa. What I loved most was Rafa as a human being. I played my first Australian Open when I was 15 and walked past him in the corridor and he said hello. I was this overwhelmed kid. He could not have been nicer," the former world No. 1 said to News Corp.

"We shared some cool successes and have those memories but I liked the way Rafa retired. He wanted to represent Spain in a team environment. That was my dream. I wanted to retire representing Australia at a Fed Cup tie in Brisbane which did not eventuate. I know that feeling of celebrating your career with the people you love."

"He and his team were always so kind to us. They offered us to help and during Covid when Australia was going through quite a challenging time and his Uncle Tony had reached out to us and said 'if you need you come there is space in our academy and we can set you up no problem at all. We are always very grateful for them," Barty said of Nadal.

'It's been such a beautiful celebration for him and his career. So many tributes from players and also other athletes around the world. It showed how much of a positive impact it had on sport and life in general. He has a brilliant perspective on life and sport. I was always one of his biggest supporters."

She also described the reason for ending her career early saying that she achieved all her goals. She often gets called to return but constantly shuns it.

"I didn't have any goals of knowing how long I would play for. I wanted to win Wimbledon. That was always the dream. Sometimes your dreams don't come true, but sometimes they do. All I wanted to do in this second phase of my career was feel like I gave it absolutely everything and know that I left no stone unturned."