Farewell, Rafael Nadal: it was my pleasure to know one of sport’s most gracious champions | Kevin Mitchell

Quiet man from Mallorca didn’t stop the clock on his ageing body but what a life, what a career – truly tennis’s ‘real thing’Elite sport is that peculiar amalgam of ritual, repetition, ingrained twitches, drilled skill, known strengths and feared limits. But it matters not a jot without passion – and sometimes even that is not enough.At 38 and in reasonable if not optimum shape, Rafael Nadal brought all of those elements together in Málaga on Tuesday ni