An emotional Rafael Nadal has wept as he farewelled his professional tennis career in front of a cheering Spanish crowd.

The Spaniard’s tears were matched by more from his wife and supporters after his final match at the Davis Cup.

Earlier, Nadal bit his lower lip as he stood alongside his Davis Cup teammates for Spain’s national anthem before what he, and everyone, knew might be the last match of his career on Tuesday (local time).

There was no outward sign of what the moment meant to the 22-time grand slam champion, even amid the roars of a sign-and flag-toting crowd, mostly here for one player and one player only.

The 38-year-old Mallorcan said beforehand that the emotions would need to wait, that this week was about attempting to claim one last title for his country, not about his impending retirement.

Tearful farewell

But his on-court interview left even teammates in tears.

“The important legacy is that all the people I have met during these 20 years have a good human memory of me,” he said.

“At the end of the day, the personal issue, education, respect and the affection you can treat people with comes before the professional issue, because that is what remains.”

Nadal announced last month this event would be it for him as a professional tennis player after two years of injuries that limited him his ability to play.

But no one could be sure if that end would arrive in Tuesday’s quarter-finals or later in the Davis Cup Final 8, which wraps up on Sunday.

His 6-4 6-4 loss to Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands was only the start of the best-of-three Spain v Netherlands matchup in front of a crowd of more than 10,000 at the sold-out Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena in southern Spain.

It was to be followed by Carlos Alcaraz against Tallon Griekspoor later on Tuesday, and doubles, too, if the teams were tied after singles.

So it was up to Nadal’s countrymen to extend his career. If Spain managed to advance to the semi-finals, Nadal’s playing days could continue. If the Netherlands were to win, he would be finished.

“It’s amazing that it might be the last match that Nadal plays,” Dutch captain Paul Haarhuis said beforehand, “and we hope to give him a nice ‘adios’.”

 

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A post shared by Rafa Nadal (@rafaelnadal)

When it ended, with Nadal ranging to his left but not quite able to get into proper position and putting a forehand into the net, he walked to the net for a quick hug with his opponent.

At times, this was, unmistakably, the Nadal everyone remembers. The white headband, marked with the red bull logo he made famous. The white tape wrapped around his left, racquet-holding fingers. The water bottles by his sideline bench, placed just so.

There was the occasional ace right on a line. The occasional serve-and-volley foray forward. The occasional over-the-shoulder putaway. And, yes, the occasional hop and uppercut and scream of “Vamos!” after claiming a key point or closing out a game.

But there also points where he did look like a once-dominant figure diminished by age and injuries.

This result ended Nadal’s 29-match winning streak in Davis Cup singles; the only other blemish on his record, which stood at 29-1 entering Tuesday, was his debut all the way back in 2004.

But this version of Nadal had hip issues, including surgery in June 2023, and abdominal problems that combined to limit him to only 23 matches over the past two years.

He was 12-7 in singles in 2024 before Tuesday.

Indeed, the match against van de Zandschulp, who upset Alcaraz at the US Open, was Nadal’s first outing that counted since early August at the Paris Olympics.

He lost there in the second round of singles to Novak Djokovic and bowed out in the doubles quarter-finals alongside Alcaraz.

The run-up to this Davis Cup has largely been about memories of, and tributes to, Nadal, including a lengthy post on social media by his rival and friend Roger Federer.

Vamos, @RafaelNadal!

As you get ready to graduate from tennis, I’ve got a few things to share before I maybe get emotional.

Let’s start with the obvious: you beat me—a lot. More than I managed to beat you. You challenged me in ways no one else could. On clay, it felt like I…

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) November 19, 2024

Nadal will forever be remembered for his rivalries with Federer and Novak Djokovic as part of the Big Three of men’s tennis, a trio of generational talents who ruled the sport for much of the past two decades.

Federer, now 43, quit in 2022; only Djokovic, 37, remains active.

Nadal’s appeal with fans was in the way he played and the humble way he conducted himself away from a court, which might explain why there were fans wearing the orange representing Netherlands who applauded for him when he was introduced.

Or why there were spectators from countries other than Spain who toted their nations’ flags bearing messages supporting him.

The locals expressed their love over and over, from the raucous standing ovation that greeted his entrance to the court.

During pre-match player introductions, as Nadal’s many accomplishments were read over the speaker system, there were yells that greeted the listing of each of the 14 years he won the French Open on its red clay and each of the five times he helped Spain claim the Davis Cup.

-with AAP