Rafael Nadal bit his lower lip and his reddened eyes welled with tears as he stood alongside his Davis Cup teammates for Spain’s national anthem on Tuesday before what everyone knew might be the last match of his career.
Hours after Nadal’s 6-4, 6-4 loss to Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands was over, the evening did turn out to represent the 22-time grand slam champion’s farewell to professional tennis, because the Dutch eliminated the Spaniards just after midnight.
And it was during the post-match ceremony that Nadal cried and cried, at the singsong chorus of “Raaa-faaa” from the spectators, at the video showing highlights from his more than two decades on tour and the collection of recorded tributes from Serena Williams, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Conchita Martinez, Juan Martin del Potro. Spanish sporting royalty, including Ballon d’Or holder Rodri and striker Raul, lent their voices. David Beckham also spoke — in Spanish.
“The titles, the numbers, are there, so people probably know that, but the way I would like to be remembered is as a good person from a small village in Mallorca,” the 38-year-old Nadal told the crowd. “Just a kid that followed their dreams, worked as hard as possible. I have been very lucky.”
He acknowledged that “the emotions were difficult to manage,” and that he felt nerves amid the roars of an adoring audience that mostly showed up for one player only.
After Nadal, a 14-time French Open champion, was beaten, he became a cheerleader for his heir apparent, Carlos Alcaraz, who evened the match-up before the Dutch clinched victory in the deciding doubles match.
Even if Spain had managed to get past the Netherlands, Nadal said that if he were his team’s captain, he wouldn’t pick himself to play again in the semi-finals.
At least he was in a joking mood after the result put a stop to his 29-match winning streak in Davis Cup singles. The only other blemish on his record, which stood at 29-1 entering Tuesday, came in his 2004 debut.
“I lost my first match in the Davis Cup, and I lost my last one,” Nadal said with a wide grin. “So we close the circle.”
In the match against Van de Zandschulp, Nadal was just not able to bring his best, no matter how many chants of “Ra-fa!” or “Si, se puede! (Yes, you can!)” broke out, no matter how many “Gracias, Rafa!” scarves filled the arena.
When the matches, the ceremony, and his career were over, Nadal hugged his teammates and left, waving goodbye to his fans one last time.
“The truth is that nobody ever wants to arrive at this moment,” he said. “I’m not tired of playing tennis, but it’s my body that doesn’t want to play anymore, so I have to accept the situation.”
Moments earlier, Spain’s captain David Ferrer, who lost to Nadal in the 2013 French Open final, said: “You know very well what you have meant to the tennis world. We will miss you a lot. The ‘Vamos, Rafa’ chant will always be part of history.”
Later, Alcaraz offered his own tribute on X, in Spanish: “There will be many more Davis Cups. There is only one Rafa.”
Written with inputs from AP
