Pedro Cachin may not have walked away the winner against Rafael Nadal at the Mutua Madrid Open, but you could never tell from his face afterward as the Argentine walked away from the match with the souvenir of a lifetime.
Ranked No. 91 in the world, Cachin was Nadal’s third round opponent on Monday in Madrid. While the Spaniard has been looking for consistency in his fitful farewell season, Cachin was looking to get out of a slump of his own having come into the tournament with a 0-10 record on the season. The 29-year-old went toe to toe with the 14-time Roland Garros champion for a tense three hours, but eventually fell 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-3.
Read more: Rafael Nadal wins in Madrid, defeats Pedro Cachin to reach fourth round
That’s when Cachin worked up the nerve to ask one of his tennis idols for a memento of their epic match:
“Thank you very much! You've made my dream come true, thank you,” Cachin gushed as he shook hands with Nadal at the net. “I don't know if this is protocol or not, but I wanted to ask you, could I keep your shirt or a towel or something?”
Nadal easily agreed, and after celebrating with the Madrid crowd, he grabbed a fresh shirt from his kit bag and took it to Cachin: “Yes, of course! I'll give you one now. Good luck with everything.”
WATCH: Rafael Nadal obliges Pedro Cachin with match shirt from Mutua Madrid Open encounter