Rafael Nadal ironically retired at the same time as an umpire he previously accused of not being ‘respectful’ enough.
The Spanish tennis star hung up his racket at this month’s Davis Cup, ending a glittering career that saw him win 22-time Grand Slams.
And umpire Carlos Bernardes also called time on his 40-year officiating career too.
The pair butted heads at the Rio Open in 2015, with the Spaniard realising he had his shorts on backwards and wanted to change back in the locker room.
Nadal said Bernardes’ refusal to let him leave the court to change his shorts ‘showed no respect’.
He was also hit with multiple time violations – and Nadal later asked for the umpire to be removed from his clashes.
“Yes, it was my request,” he confirmed a few months later.
“I consider him a great umpire and a good person, but I think when you have some troubles with the same umpire, sometimes it’s easy to stay for a while away, no?”
The pair have since resolved their issues, with Bernardes officiating plenty of the record French Open winner’s games.
Addressing their clashes after his retirement this month, the official told AS: “We have that image because of the arguments.
“But we always treated each other very well.
“He was always very respectful towards me. And this is something I will never forget.
“I was sad because he ended his career this way. I wanted to be there to see him.
“I didn’t even think about refereeing him. I just wanted to see him because of the great work he has done for other players.
“He was very important for tennis.”
Nadal is another member of the ‘Big Four’ to have retired, following Andy Murray and Roger Federer‘s decisions to step away from the sport.
Now, only Novak Djokovic remains – and Bernardes says it’s been an honour to officiate the tennis icons.
The 60-year-old said: “I think there are no words to describe these guys who are there now finishing their careers.
“Like Federer, who has already stopped, Nadal, Murray… They changed world tennis.
“I think there has never been so much passion as in this period. That stress with Djokovic, who is still playing.
“For me it was an honour to be able to work in this era.”