November 20, 2024 • 8 mins
Rafael Nadal has played his last ever match at the top flight of international tennis.
His Spanish team has lost to the Netherlands at the Davis Cup
Tennis tragic Michael Burgess was there in 2004 when Nadal played in Auckland. He spoke to D'Arcy Waldegrave about Rafa's long career - and the next ASB Classic's lineup - on Sportstalk.
LISTEN ABOVE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Dancy Wildergrave
from News Talk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
We'll join now on sports Talk by Michael Burgess, a
multi media sports writer and an absolute tennis tragic.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
That's a fair thing to call you, isn't it, mister Burgess?
And welcome.
Speaker 4 (00:22):
Absolutely absolutely tennis nut from way back. And I'm so
excited around this time of year that ask because this
is when we start talking about our tennis season, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Yeah, And it's when the releases keep coming. We know
a lot of the field for the ASP Classic for
the women, but the men's names are coming. Game on
Feast is the latest person to be released. He's got
a special place in tennis, hasn't it. He's quite the character,
mister more Fez.
Speaker 4 (00:50):
He's amazing. I mean, I've watched a lot of tennis
over the years and to see someone as entertaining as him.
He's so charismatic on the court, plus his shot making.
I mean, if I think back, I've been covering the
Asby Classic a long time and two of the most
memorable matches I've covered both involved him. One was in
January he lost a three sets thriller and the other
(01:11):
was against Tommy Hasse way back in twenty thirteen in
a quarter file. So he's just he's just magic to watch.
The crowd loves watching him play, and it's just he's
the kind of guy that excites everyone, that sells tickets.
And he's still he's still at a good level. He's
thirty eight years old, Dace, which is pretty old for
a tennis player, but he's still on number fifty five.
And the other thing is he had pretty solid year
(01:32):
and he beat a couple of top ten players, including
Carlos Algarez, so he's still pretty impressive.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
He's been a professional now for well over twenty years.
How does he keep.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
At the top of his game like that superb fitness.
He's maybe got a bloody minded attitude toward what he does.
How has he been around so long such a physical sport.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
Yeah, it's a good question, mate, because you're right, twenty
one years on tour and one of the most physical
sports where the players coming through younger and younger. I
asked him about that when he came this year and
he said, you know, he still trains pretty hard. He's
got a bit smarter, but basically just still loves the
sport because he's he doesn't have to be doing this,
but he's still likes driggling the world and playing tennis
(02:15):
and people still love watching him play. So he's pretty
disciplined with his training. Even though he's got he's got
a family now, he's got a young daughter, and he's
still got he's still got all the shots. You know,
he's slowing down, but he's always been really quick on
the court, so you know, he's still really competitive. We
don't know if next year will be his last year.
It might be, but it's just fantastic he's coming back
(02:36):
to Akland because he's only been here. I think it's
this will be his fourth visit from memory. He's tried
to come a few times and had injuries and things
like that. So the fact that he's going to be
coming two years in a row, it's just magic. I think.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Is he a threat?
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Will he actually get through and cause a ruckus? Is
he a quarter finalists a semi finalist?
Speaker 3 (02:56):
God for big? Could he actually win the whole thing?
Speaker 4 (02:59):
I mean, if you got going, he can beat anyone
on his day. I think the challenge for Gail now
is backing up, you know, backing up one performance after
the other. But he reached a couple of semi finals
this year, which is semi Finland Doha. Doh has a
big tournament, big money has always has a descent field,
so he certainly can. I mean, I think the drawer's
got to be kind. He's pretty unlucky lart Or this
(03:20):
year January with the drawer, he got a pretty tough,
talented young Hungarian super fit. So it depends on the draw.
But yeah, I mean, if he gets rolling, gets confident,
he's certainly a guy that can make a run in
this tournament. He'll be a dark horse in the field
and no one will want to draw him first round and.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
Draws fattening up got me.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Hence ideas nudges around who else might sign because obviously
there's limit on rankings and who can actually turn up.
You got an idea about where they may be heading
the tournament directors.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
Well, women's field is looking like you says, looking pretty
pretty sharp with Nomo Saka Emarti, Kanu lu Lusan. That's
has three massive names there. The men's field have announced
Cameron Nora, They've got my Feast. They've announced Ben Shelton,
the American who's been a couple of times now and
he's a top twenty player. He's been once, he's been,
he's been Top fifteen, he's made a Grandsloon semi finals.
(04:13):
He's he's all class. I think they've got a couple
of young, you know, players on the rise coming. I
assume they'll be top fifty. They'll be young, kind of
the next generation, they hope, but not sure if they've
got any more big names to come. He's still working
on that or not. But it'll be a it'll be
(04:34):
an impressed the field, but certainly the women's field really
catches the eye.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Any chance we could lure an old Spaniard over because
he's finished playing, Oh, I suppose it's still professional, is it?
Did you think rapping and down now that he's hanging
up as racket might just roll over for a bit
of a look.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
He must love it over here. Sure has he been here.
Speaker 4 (04:51):
He's been here twice us and he was part of
the reason I started loving tennis. I mean I love
tennis from the eighties with Stephan Edburgh and Pat Cash
and Brus Becker. But Raffa came to Auckland in two
thousand and four and that was my first year down
there kind of as a journalist. He was seventeen, couldn't
speak English, muscles on muscles, wearing a single at the
long hair, and he was world number about fifty fifty
(05:14):
fifty three fifty four from memory, and so we knew
this guy potential. But you know, he just he was
just amazing. He just he just could run and run
every ball down in this massive shot she'd never seen before,
this huge, huge topspin back end and forehand. And he
made the final and all the way the finals a
seventeen year old, was his first ATP to a final
and lost to Dominique Barti. But that sort of you know,
(05:38):
I think that introduced him to Auckland and New Zealand certainly.
So it's kind of a sad day, but great memories
of him.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
He's had a long and illustrious career. How come he's
lasted so long?
Speaker 4 (05:49):
Yeah, and he's he's done it in a different ways
in my feast, because he's just been plagued with injuries
from basically the start, you know, like he I'm sure
your listeners remember him winning Wimmedon against Roger Fedder in
two thousand and eight, one of the great tennis matches,
but a couple of years before he had massive issues
with his feet, with his knees, with his shoulders, so
(06:10):
he's been carrying injuries his whole career, missed a lot
of tournaments. But he's just he's the hardest trainer on tour.
He absolutely loves the sport. He said, some great coaches,
great family behind him. But the main thing of it, Raffle,
that stands out to me is I've never seen a
player with such a will to win and such an
ability to play under pressure, even better than Feeder and Jokovic.
(06:32):
Like I've seen him so many times. You were seeing
it too, Dars. He's down love forty in the shit.
If he gets broken, he might lose the set or something,
and he finds a way back, finds a way back
from crazy situations.
Speaker 5 (06:42):
So he was just he was just so hard to.
Speaker 4 (06:44):
Beat mentally, just he just really was. And that's sort
of the special thing I remember about him, as well
as as well as his amazing shot making and everything
else about him.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
I love the way he's bowed out, not the fact
that he'd been knocked out in a Davis Cup, the bar,
the fact that he said I don't need to tell
the world.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
I don't have an ego. I'm just gonna speak.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
He's just going to go and sit around on an
easy chair somewhere and shell out.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
We might not heave again. That's the kind of way
he rolls.
Speaker 4 (07:10):
Yeah, I mean it was. It's quite surprising in a
way in one way, because he'd be justified to him
a farewell to it, and he would people love him
all around the world so much like I think he's
he's second only to feed or might be equal Federer
in terms of the love that he inspires. So he
would sell out stadiums everywhere. They'd love to see him.
(07:32):
He'd probably enjoy it in a way. But on the
other hand, I'm not surprised to us.
Speaker 5 (07:35):
Because, as you say, he's you know, for the fact
he's a.
Speaker 4 (07:39):
Sporting megastar around the world, he's still a pretty genuine guy.
He's very family orientated, and you're right, he probably just
wants to sit around in New yorka play golf, go fishing,
help out the family business. I'm sure I'll have some
other things on with his academies and as everything else.
But it is kind of it's so authentic it's so
rapid to finish.
Speaker 5 (08:00):
To finish in this way rather than saying, Oh, I'm
going to play every Grandstad one last time and I'm
going to play my favorite time of it's really it's
really kind of nice class act.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
And on that, mister Burchess to thank you very much
for your time and expertise as per look forward to
catching up again in the office when I see you next.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
Thanks for your time.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Yeah, certainly, certainly will die For more from Sports Talk,
listen live to news Talks it'd be from seven pm weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Dancy Wildergrave
from News Talk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
We'll join now on sports Talk by Michael Burgess, a
multi media sports writer and an absolute tennis tragic.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
That's a fair thing to call you, isn't it, mister Burgess?
And welcome.
Speaker 4 (00:22):
Absolutely absolutely tennis nut from way back. And I'm so
excited around this time of year that ask because this
is when we start talking about our tennis season, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Yeah, And it's when the releases keep coming. We know
a lot of the field for the ASP Classic for
the women, but the men's names are coming. Game on
Feast is the latest person to be released. He's got
a special place in tennis, hasn't it. He's quite the character,
mister more Fez.
Speaker 4 (00:50):
He's amazing. I mean, I've watched a lot of tennis
over the years and to see someone as entertaining as him.
He's so charismatic on the court, plus his shot making.
I mean, if I think back, I've been covering the
Asby Classic a long time and two of the most
memorable matches I've covered both involved him. One was in
January he lost a three sets thriller and the other
(01:11):
was against Tommy Hasse way back in twenty thirteen in
a quarter file. So he's just he's just magic to watch.
The crowd loves watching him play, and it's just he's
the kind of guy that excites everyone, that sells tickets.
And he's still he's still at a good level. He's
thirty eight years old, Dace, which is pretty old for
a tennis player, but he's still on number fifty five.
And the other thing is he had pretty solid year
(01:32):
and he beat a couple of top ten players, including
Carlos Algarez, so he's still pretty impressive.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
He's been a professional now for well over twenty years.
How does he keep.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
At the top of his game like that superb fitness.
He's maybe got a bloody minded attitude toward what he does.
How has he been around so long such a physical sport.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
Yeah, it's a good question, mate, because you're right, twenty
one years on tour and one of the most physical
sports where the players coming through younger and younger. I
asked him about that when he came this year and
he said, you know, he still trains pretty hard. He's
got a bit smarter, but basically just still loves the
sport because he's he doesn't have to be doing this,
but he's still likes driggling the world and playing tennis
(02:15):
and people still love watching him play. So he's pretty
disciplined with his training. Even though he's got he's got
a family now, he's got a young daughter, and he's
still got he's still got all the shots. You know,
he's slowing down, but he's always been really quick on
the court, so you know, he's still really competitive. We
don't know if next year will be his last year.
It might be, but it's just fantastic he's coming back
(02:36):
to Akland because he's only been here. I think it's
this will be his fourth visit from memory. He's tried
to come a few times and had injuries and things
like that. So the fact that he's going to be
coming two years in a row, it's just magic. I think.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Is he a threat?
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Will he actually get through and cause a ruckus? Is
he a quarter finalists a semi finalist?
Speaker 3 (02:56):
God for big? Could he actually win the whole thing?
Speaker 4 (02:59):
I mean, if you got going, he can beat anyone
on his day. I think the challenge for Gail now
is backing up, you know, backing up one performance after
the other. But he reached a couple of semi finals
this year, which is semi Finland Doha. Doh has a
big tournament, big money has always has a descent field,
so he certainly can. I mean, I think the drawer's
got to be kind. He's pretty unlucky lart Or this
(03:20):
year January with the drawer, he got a pretty tough,
talented young Hungarian super fit. So it depends on the draw.
But yeah, I mean, if he gets rolling, gets confident,
he's certainly a guy that can make a run in
this tournament. He'll be a dark horse in the field
and no one will want to draw him first round and.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
Draws fattening up got me.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Hence ideas nudges around who else might sign because obviously
there's limit on rankings and who can actually turn up.
You got an idea about where they may be heading
the tournament directors.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
Well, women's field is looking like you says, looking pretty
pretty sharp with Nomo Saka Emarti, Kanu lu Lusan. That's
has three massive names there. The men's field have announced
Cameron Nora, They've got my Feast. They've announced Ben Shelton,
the American who's been a couple of times now and
he's a top twenty player. He's been once, he's been,
he's been Top fifteen, he's made a Grandsloon semi finals.
(04:13):
He's he's all class. I think they've got a couple
of young, you know, players on the rise coming. I
assume they'll be top fifty. They'll be young, kind of
the next generation, they hope, but not sure if they've
got any more big names to come. He's still working
on that or not. But it'll be a it'll be
(04:34):
an impressed the field, but certainly the women's field really
catches the eye.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Any chance we could lure an old Spaniard over because
he's finished playing, Oh, I suppose it's still professional, is it?
Did you think rapping and down now that he's hanging
up as racket might just roll over for a bit
of a look.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
He must love it over here. Sure has he been here.
Speaker 4 (04:51):
He's been here twice us and he was part of
the reason I started loving tennis. I mean I love
tennis from the eighties with Stephan Edburgh and Pat Cash
and Brus Becker. But Raffa came to Auckland in two
thousand and four and that was my first year down
there kind of as a journalist. He was seventeen, couldn't
speak English, muscles on muscles, wearing a single at the
long hair, and he was world number about fifty fifty
(05:14):
fifty three fifty four from memory, and so we knew
this guy potential. But you know, he just he was
just amazing. He just he just could run and run
every ball down in this massive shot she'd never seen before,
this huge, huge topspin back end and forehand. And he
made the final and all the way the finals a
seventeen year old, was his first ATP to a final
and lost to Dominique Barti. But that sort of you know,
(05:38):
I think that introduced him to Auckland and New Zealand certainly.
So it's kind of a sad day, but great memories
of him.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
He's had a long and illustrious career. How come he's
lasted so long?
Speaker 4 (05:49):
Yeah, and he's he's done it in a different ways
in my feast, because he's just been plagued with injuries
from basically the start, you know, like he I'm sure
your listeners remember him winning Wimmedon against Roger Fedder in
two thousand and eight, one of the great tennis matches,
but a couple of years before he had massive issues
with his feet, with his knees, with his shoulders, so
(06:10):
he's been carrying injuries his whole career, missed a lot
of tournaments. But he's just he's the hardest trainer on tour.
He absolutely loves the sport. He said, some great coaches,
great family behind him. But the main thing of it, Raffle,
that stands out to me is I've never seen a
player with such a will to win and such an
ability to play under pressure, even better than Feeder and Jokovic.
(06:32):
Like I've seen him so many times. You were seeing
it too, Dars. He's down love forty in the shit.
If he gets broken, he might lose the set or something,
and he finds a way back, finds a way back
from crazy situations.
Speaker 5 (06:42):
So he was just he was just so hard to.
Speaker 4 (06:44):
Beat mentally, just he just really was. And that's sort
of the special thing I remember about him, as well
as as well as his amazing shot making and everything
else about him.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
I love the way he's bowed out, not the fact
that he'd been knocked out in a Davis Cup, the bar,
the fact that he said I don't need to tell
the world.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
I don't have an ego. I'm just gonna speak.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
He's just going to go and sit around on an
easy chair somewhere and shell out.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
We might not heave again. That's the kind of way
he rolls.
Speaker 4 (07:10):
Yeah, I mean it was. It's quite surprising in a
way in one way, because he'd be justified to him
a farewell to it, and he would people love him
all around the world so much like I think he's
he's second only to feed or might be equal Federer
in terms of the love that he inspires. So he
would sell out stadiums everywhere. They'd love to see him.
(07:32):
He'd probably enjoy it in a way. But on the
other hand, I'm not surprised to us.
Speaker 5 (07:35):
Because, as you say, he's you know, for the fact
he's a.
Speaker 4 (07:39):
Sporting megastar around the world, he's still a pretty genuine guy.
He's very family orientated, and you're right, he probably just
wants to sit around in New yorka play golf, go fishing,
help out the family business. I'm sure I'll have some
other things on with his academies and as everything else.
But it is kind of it's so authentic it's so
rapid to finish.
Speaker 5 (08:00):
To finish in this way rather than saying, Oh, I'm
going to play every Grandstad one last time and I'm
going to play my favorite time of it's really it's
really kind of nice class act.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
And on that, mister Burchess to thank you very much
for your time and expertise as per look forward to
catching up again in the office when I see you next.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
Thanks for your time.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Yeah, certainly, certainly will die For more from Sports Talk,
listen live to news Talks it'd be from seven pm weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.