Michael Chang feels Rafael Nadal knew the time was right to move on after confirming his impending retirement.
Nadal announced last week that he would call time on his glittering playing career after the Davis Cup Finals, which will take place in Malaga next month.
The 38-year-old, who has won 22 grand slam titles, with his last coming at Roland-Garros in 2022, has struggled with injury in recent seasons, and has not played a singles match since losing to old foe Novak Djokovic at the Paris Olympics.
Chang, who is the youngest man in history to win a singles major, having clinched the 1989 French Open at the age of 17 years and 109 days, believes Nadal has made the right call.
He told Stats Perform: "I think we all knew he was nearing the end of his career. With the injuries he's had over the past couple of years, he knew it was coming sooner rather than later.
"To be honest, we would have thought that this generation, between Roger [Federer], Rafa, Andy [Murray], and Novak would have retired a few years ago, but their love for the sport is truly amazing.
"Their dedication and competitive spirit really kept them out there for so long, still competing at an extremely high level. It's one thing to be out there and just chugging along, but these guys are still winning grand slams and vying for grand slams.
"Roger and Rafa did it for so long, and obviously, Novak's still going, it's incredible. Rafa has accomplished everything you could in the sport of tennis, and he's unbelievably well-respected in every regard, whether you're a tennis fan or not.
"You would never want to see a champion like that go, but it’s time to move on. You can't play at this level forever, but the times we've had to enjoy him on tour and witness so many unbelievable matches around the world, it's certainly been a joy to watch and witness."
Djokovic (24) is the only man to win more major titles than Nadal, who has won a record 14 French Open crowns.
And while Chang is unsure if Nadal ranks as the greatest of all time, the 52-year-old believes other factors than grand slam titles must come into consideration.
"I think for him to be known as one of the greatest tennis players that we've ever seen is special," Chang added.
"I think there's no question that Novak, as far as results go and titles go and grand slam titles go, there's no question that his results stand above everybody else, but when we think about these great champions, you think about their admirable qualities.
"Rafa's grit, heart, forehand, his ability to move and get around, the mental toughness in intense situations, is remarkable.
"Those are the things we'll remember about him as a tennis player. His interactions with fans and fellow players also show he's extremely well-respected. Those are the qualities we will always remember. I hope he stays involved in the tennis scene because he'll always be a great ambassador for the sport."
When it comes to Nadal's legacy, Chang believes the Spaniard's character is what sets him apart.
He said: "That's one of the reasons he's so admired. All tennis players want to do well; they want to reach number one and win grand slam tournaments, but some players have a more selfish mentality and don't care much about others or what they think.
"Rafa is not like that. He takes time to give back, he takes time for fans, and he appreciates people coming to watch him play. He has a ton of respect for everyone he comes in contact with and because of the way he's conducted himself on and off the court, people admire him as more than just a tennis player.
"Look at what he's done for Spanish tennis, he's inspired the next generations and embraced them. He's been nothing but complimentary towards this new generation of players, like Carlos Alcaraz leading the way."
Slot deserves praise for modest approach to Liverpool job – Mills
Arne Slot deserves praise for not being "arrogant" with his approach to succeeding Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool boss, according to Danny Mills.
The Dutchman has made a hugely positive start to life at Anfield since replacing long-serving Klopp ahead of the 2024-25 season.
The 28 points Slot has collected is the joint-most of any manager in their opening 11 Premier League games along with Guus Hiddink at Chelsea.
Liverpool's only blemish on an otherwise perfect start to the top-flight campaign was a 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest in September.
Indeed, only in 2019-20 (31 points) have Liverpool collected more points after 11 games of a Premier League season than their 28 this campaign.
Former Leeds United and Manchester City defender Mills has been particularly impressed by Slot's approach to a new era at Anfield.
"Arne Slot has surprised me," Mills told Stats Perform. "They did have a difficult defeat against Nottingham Forest at home. That was a defeat not many people saw that coming, but the start he's had is unbelievable. It's incredible.
"Training might be slightly different, but the style of play is very similar. The players are comfortable with it. They've been high-energy, closing people down, and playing at 100 miles an hour when they win the ball back.
"It shows managerial intelligence to understand the players' qualities and build on what they had when they were successful. He hasn't overthought it or tinkered too much.
"He hasn’t been arrogant and said, 'I'm going to rip it up and start fresh'. It wasn't broken; it was already successful. He's just added to it."
Liverpool won a first ever Premier League title during Klopp's eight-and-a-half years in charge, as well the Champions League in 2018-19.
Klopp also lifted the FA Cup, two EFL Cups, the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup, setting a high benchmark to follow.
"Liverpool identified the man they wanted, brought him in, and he's been very clever," Mills added. "He looked at the squad and thought, 'these are good players. I don't need to change too much'.
"That's smart because Liverpool were very successful under Klopp. If you come in and rip up the playbook and it doesn't work, players will question why they're not doing what worked under Klopp."
Liverpool have conceded just six goals in the Premier League this season – four fewer than next-best Nottingham Forest.
They are conceding at a rate of around 0.5 goals per game, compared to around 1.1 in Klopp's final season in charge (41 goals in 38 matches).
"Slot has tweaked things slightly, maybe made them more defensively solid, which they needed to really challenge," Mills said. "Championship-winning or Champions League-winning teams are built on solid defences.
"You don't win without that. He's shored up the defence and allowed the players to continue doing what they were doing before."
Paolini and Bronzetti seal fifth Billie Jean King Cup for Italy
Victories for Jasmine Paolini and Lucia Bronzetti handed Italy their fifth Billie Jean King Cup title as they overcame Slovakia in Wednesday's final in Malaga.
Italy, who were beaten in last year's final by Canada, overcame Poland in the semi-finals on Monday as Paolini partnered Sara Errani for a decisive doubles win over world number two Iga Swiatek and Katarzyna Kawa.
The showpiece contest began with Bronzetti triumphing 6-2 6-4 against Viktoria Hruncakova, before Paolini took to the court to face Rebecca Sramkova.
The world number four – who won doubles gold at the Paris Olympics in August to cap her breakout year – eased past Sramkova by a 6-2 6-1 scoreline to ensure a doubles match was not required.
Speaking after Italy claimed the trophy for the first time since 2011, Bronzetti heaped praise upon her team-mate and revealed she had struggled to sleep before playing in front of 12-time grand slam champion King.
"Jasmine raised her level really high this year. She's an example for all of us," Bronzetti said.
Asked about King's presence in the crowd, Bronzetti added: "She is a great person, a great legend. I didn't sleep very well.
"You're not playing just for yourself. You're playing for your team and your country. We all want this trophy, and it is our dream, all Italians."
Data Debrief: Five-star Italy
Italy have claimed their fifth Billie Jean King Cup, having previously triumphed in 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2013.
Only the United States (18), Czechoslovakia/Czechia (11) and Australia (seven) have won more. Spain and Russia (also including the USSR and Russian Tennis Federation) have also tasted success five times.
Germany set up Netherlands semi-final showdown at Davis Cup
Germany booked their place in the Davis Cup semi-finals after wrapping up a 2-0 victory over Canada in Malaga.
Daniel Altmaier and Jan-Lennard Struff were both victorious over Gabriel Diallo and Denis Shapovalov respectively, to set up a last-four clash with the Netherlands.
Germany were beaten 2-1 by Canada when the nations met at this stage of the 2022 Davis Cup, but they drew first blood when Altmaier came through a hard-fought clash with Diallo 7-6 (7-5) 6-4.
It looked like the tie would go to a doubles decider when former Wimbledon semi-finalist Shapovalov took the opening set against Struff.
But the world number 43 bounced back to prevail 4-6 7-5 7-6 (7-5) after two hours and seven minutes.
"Denis was playing amazingly, coming out firing," Struff said. "It was a very tough match. He was serving so well. It was tough to return. The court is very fast. An incredible match. I'm just happy to get over the line at the end."
On Friday's semi-final with the Dutch, he added: "It's a big step for us to go from the quarters to the semis. For sure, we want to win and go to the final now.
"Netherlands played an amazing match yesterday, beating Spain here in front of a home crowd. We expect a very tough opponent."
Data Debrief: Germany through as errors cost Canada
The two tie-breaks proved pivotal as the Germans secured only their second Davis Cup semi-final appearance since 2008 (also reaching that stage in 2021).
Though both sets were tight during the first match, Diallo hit 40 unforced errors to Altmaier's 17, and was 6-1 for double faults.
Similarly, in the second rubber, though Shapovalov was 27-8 for aces, 13 double faults to just four from Struff proved costly.
Altmaier and Struff's reward is a first meeting with the Netherlands since the 2001 quarter-finals, which the Dutch won 4-1.
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