The elimination of Spain against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup has heralded the retirement of Rafa Nadal, one of the best players in the history of tennis.
The 38-year-old Spanish tennis player put an end to his legendary career on Tuesday night in Málaga.
It was the first time that Nadal lost to a Dutchman; it was Botic van de Zandschulp who won the first match. Nadal lost in two sets (6-4, 6-4). In the second match, Carlos Alcaraz beat Griekspoor and it was tied again. After that, the Spanish number one went down together with Marcel Granollers in the doubles against Wesley Koolhof and Van de Zandschulp.
The Spaniard had not played an official match since the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He announced a few weeks ago that he would retire during the Davis Cup. And it was precisely during this tournament that he won his first title twenty years ago; ‘the circle is complete’, according to Nadal. In total, the Spanish top tennis player has won 5 Davis Cups and 22 Grand Slam titles. At Roland Garros, he won the title no less than 14 times.
Acknowledgements
After the draw, the Spaniard received an emotional tribute at the Palacio de Deportes José María Martín Carpena. Nadal took the microphone to thank the fans, his rivals, the Spanish team, his own team of employees, the media, and the sports institutions.
“In the twenty years of my professional career, you have supported me. I consider myself very lucky to have received so much affection from all over the world. And especially here in Spain,” he began his speech of almost fifteen minutes.
“My body doesn’t want to go anymore”
In front of many people in tears, such as his coach Carlos Moyá and his sister Maribel, Rafa explained his decision. “I’m not tired of playing tennis, but the body doesn’t want to play anymore. You have to accept the situation. I have been able to turn one of my hobbies into my career and much longer than I could have imagined. I can only thank life.”
“For me, the most important thing in the world is to be a good person,” he added. Nadal relies on the “education” he has received and the support of his family to help him face the future.
Afterward, the presidents of the international and Spanish tennis federations, Dave Haggerty and Miguel Díaz Román respectively, presented him with a photo of his last Davis Cup title. Rafa Nadal, who is already Saudi Arabia’s tennis ambassador, said he hopes to “remain a good global ambassador for tennis.”
Tributes from friends and rivals
Rafa Nadal was then shown a video in which images of his successes were interspersed with words from other legends of Spanish and world sports, from teammates and rivals Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Juan Martín del Potro, Serena Williams and Conchita Martínez. Raúl González, Andrés Iniesta, Rodri, and David Beckham also participated.
Finally, the captain of the Spanish team, David Ferrer, congratulated and hugged him once more. Almost all of the audience was still present, even though the Davis Cup of that day had ended after midnight.