Rafael Nadal said he has left both a sporting and personal legacy after retiring from professional tennis on Tuesday at the Davis Cup.

The 38-year-old was beaten in the opening singles rubber of the quarter-finals as Netherlands defeated Spain 2-1 to reach the final four.

Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam winner, enjoyed a glittering and historic career over the past 23 years.

“I leave with the peace of mind that I have left a legacy, which I really feel is not just a sporting one but a personal one,” Nadal told fans in Malaga in a speech during a ceremony to honour his retirement.

“I understand that the love I have received, if it was just for what happened on the court, would not be the same.”

Nadal paid credit to many who have helped him along the way, including his uncle Toni Nadal, who coached him as a child and for a large part of his career.

“The titles, the numbers are there, so people probably know that, but the way that I would like to be remembered more is like a good person, from a small village in Mallorca,” continued Nadal.

“I had the luck that I had my uncle that was a tennis coach in my village when I was a very, very small kid, and a great family that supports me in every moment…

“I just want to be remembered as a good person, a kid that followed their dreams and achieved (even) more than what I had dreamed.”

Nadal was celebrated with a video montage on the many screens around the Martin Carpena arena in Malaga where over 10,000 fans saw his career come to a close.

Former rival Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Serena Williams and other tennis greats left messages in the video, alongside former Spanish football stars including Raul and Andres Iniesta, who retired from playing in October.

“I leave the world of professional tennis having encountered many good friends along the way,” said Nadal in his emotional speech.

The Spaniard said he hoped to be a “good ambassador” for tennis in the years to come and was not afraid to begin his retirement.

“I am calm because I have received an education to take on what is coming next,” he explained.

“I have a great family around me who help me with everything that I need every day.”

Ademola Lookman has been listed among the final five nominees for the 2024 CAF Men’s Player of the Year award.

The African football governing body announced the top echelon of candidates for the coveted award in a tweet on Monday.

Only Lookman is the Nigerian named among the five finalists. William Troost-Ekong did not make the final cut despite being named in the initial 10-player list.

Other footballers in the top five are Achraf Hakimi, Simon Adingra, Ronwen Williams and Serhou Guirassy.

Lookman had an impressive 2023/24 season for both club and country. The winger scored 17 goals and provided 11 assists in all competitions last season for Atalanta, which retained its status as one of the best in Serie A.

He scored a hattrick in the Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen, winning Atalanta’s first-ever European title.

Lookman was one of Nigeria’s best players at the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire. He scored three goals as the Eagles won silver at the tournament. He was also named in the competition’s best XI alongside captain Willian Troost-Ekong.

The 27-year-old ranked 14th best player in the world at the 2024 men’s Ballon d’Or ceremony — the only African to make the top 30.

Lookman has been tipped to be the next award winner, following the footsteps of Victor Osimhen, who won the prize in 2023.

In the other award categories, Stanley Nwabali was nominated for the goalkeeper of the year prize, while Nigeria will vie for the national team of the year category alongside Ivory Coast, Morocco, South Africa, and six others.

Mike Tyson’s controversial return to boxing ended in a one-sided defeat on Friday, with Youtuber-turned-prizefighter Jake Paul cruising to victory by unanimous decision against the heavyweight icon in Texas.

Tyson, 58, barely landed a punch during the eight-round bout at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, with Paul winning by big margins on all three cards — 80-72, 79-73 and 79-73.

Paul, 27, used his superior speed and movement to dominate the ageing Tyson with ease, and had the former undisputed heavyweight champion in trouble after landing a flurry of punches in the third round.

Yet the younger fighter was unable to land the knockout blow he had promised to deliver during Thursday’s ill-tempered weigh-in, where Tyson slapped him across the face.

Tyson, however, looked every bit of his 58 years, managing to land only a handful of meaningful punches during the fight.

Final statistics showed Tyson connected with just 18 of 97 punches thrown while Paul threw some 278 punches and landed 78 of them.

As the final seconds of the eighth round counted down, Paul could even afford to bow in respect to Tyson before the bell sounded.