Rafa’s 9/11 tribute

Written by: Staff on 12th September 2010

Rafa's 9/11 tribute

Sept. 11, 2010; Flushing, NY, USA; Arthur Ashe Stadium on day 13 of the 2010 US Open at Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-US PRESSWIRE |

The men’s semi finals at the US Open coincided with the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States. From the Flushing Meadows venue, it is possible to look across to Manhattan to the site where the twin towers of the World Trade Center once stood. Each year, as the Open draws to a close, everyone’s thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives on that tragic day in 2001.

Even in the midst of his on-court celebrations, having reached his first ever US Open final, Rafael Nadal was touched and moved by the services of remembrance in New York and wished to offer his support and condolences to those affected by the tragedy.

“9/11 was a big shock for everybody in the world,” he said afterwards. “I remember and everybody remembers where they were at that moment, and I remember what happened that day and where I was.

“It was a terrible shock for me, especially because I was in the top of the twin towers a few months before.

“So, that’s just the minimum thing that I can say, all the support for the victims and for the families, for sure, is always in my mind.

“When I came back after the disaster, in the first six years, I always was there at Ground Zero every time watching that.

“So, that’s probably the most impact view that I had in all my life.”

Topics: 9 11 Terrorist Attacks, 9 11 Tribute, Condolences, Court Celebrations, Disaster, Draws, Ground Zero, Manhattan, Midst, Ninth Anniversary, Rafa, Rafael Nadal, Remembrance, Semi Finals, Shock, Six Years, Tragedy, Tribute, Twin Towers, United States, World Trade Center