“Bela, Bela, Bela!”. The last chant for Fernando: “I didn’t know what it would feel like to stop, now I do, and I’m at peace”

Bela’s last shot is a backhand swallowed by the net. Garrido and Bergamini win 6-3, 6-4, but instead of celebrating, Garrido almost hides, clutching the fence with his hand covering his face. Bergamini doesn’t even celebrate. Lucas and Javi look like they’d rather disappear – almost – because every player dreams of making history, but not like this, with emotions so upside down. This is a victory overshadowed by the farewell of the greatest of all time.

In his final match, on the first of three match points at 4-5, Bela fights back with two incredible ‘por tres’ shots flying out of the court, keeping the match alive. Bela doesn’t want to let go, because “Un Belasteguin nunca se rinde” –  A Belasteguin never gives up. He’s defied time itself, playing until 45 years old, more than half his life dedicated to the most incredible career in the history of padel. Sixteen years as world number one is a small crown for someone who transformed padel into a global sport, inspiring generations of players.

And so, Garrido cries his heart out as he speaks as the winner but looks like he’s lost. Bergamini cries too, while the entire Allianz Cloud stands in tribute to Bela. Fernando cries too, as does Tino Libaak, who suddenly looks much younger than his 19 years – just a kid sobbing uncontrollably. The crowd chants, “Bela, Bela, Bela!” Fernando stretches out his arms, waves, cries, hugs people, and cries again.

On the sidelines, the padel elite is all there: Di Nenno, Tapia, Yanguas, Galán, Chingotto, FIP President Luigi Carraro, and his inseparable best friend, Gianluca Vacchi. And then there’s the crowd, his crowd. A young boy shouts, “Bela, don’t leave us!” as the match starts slipping away in the first set, with a break in the fourth game on Tino’s serve. “Bela, Bela!” echoes the crowd when Fernando suffers a break in the fifth game of the second set – a dagger to the hope of a comeback.

Bergamini and Garrido’s physical game wears down their opponents, who fight hard but can’t escape the script that seems already written. And so, after an hour and 28 minutes of play, at 9:38 PM (Italian time), the greatest player of all time ends his career on Center Court at the Milano Premier Padel P1 in the heart of the Allianz Cloud.

What follows is pure celebration. Tournament organizer and NSA CEO Marco Gamberale steps onto the court to present Fernando with his prize, quickly exiting with graceful discretion so as not to interrupt Bela’s moment with his people. Amid a sea of applause, the Leyenda takes the microphone, and for his fans, it’s like a bittersweet melody: “With all the recognition I’ve received this year, I’ve won more trophies than in the last five years”, he jokes.

“You can’t know how it feels to stop playing until you do. Now I know, and I’m very happy, very at peace. I had already decided a while ago to play the full 2024 season. I had more tough times than good matches, but I wanted to leave the way I lived my whole career – fighting, battling, throwing myself to the ground, arguing with the referee, smashing the glass with my racket. I wanted to leave with my essence – that of a fighter. And I’m very at peace because I gave everything I had. I was lucky enough to close out 30 years of professional career on my terms. Often, sport forces you to stop much earlier. And now, it’s been 10 or 15 minutes since I became an ex-professional player. And I feel very calm, truly calm.”

Thank goodness, Fernando. But just know that from 9:38 PM on December 5, 2024, padel will never be the same again.