MALAGA, Spain — Rafael NadalProfessional tennis career is over, his last match is Defeat 6-4, 6-4 against Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands at the Davis Cup.
This defeat, coupled with Carlos Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers’ 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3) doubles loss to Wesley Koolhof and Van de Zandschulp, saw Spain eliminated from the Davis Cup and with it, the end for Nadal. , one of the most successful players of all time, who confirmed that he retire at the Davis Cup in October.
Nadal had flashes of himself during the loss to Van de Zandschulp, but they were all too brief. Some aces in crucial moments. A broken backhand above the head. A chase after a lob that he recovered with a spin while fleeing the net.
Ultimately, his game proved too soft to survive a powerful, modern player like Van de Zanschulp. Shots that once would have sent balls across the court came up short, allowing the Dutchman to take the initiative on Nadal’s racket.
With Nadal out, it was up to Carlos Alcaraz to save him and save Spain. Alcaraz got to the halfway point, winning his singles match, but he and Marcus Granollers then fell to Van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof in straight doubles sets.
Nadal sat with his teammates on the court, urging Granollers and Alcaraz to continue, standing up and pumping his fists two at a time, trying to convince them to hang on and give him one more chance on the court.
The match ended in two tie-breaks. Koolhof and Van de Zandschulp played their best tennis when it mattered most, with the burden of saving Nadal’s career for another round by putting pressure on the Spaniards. The Dutch won the first 7-4. In the second half, Van de Zandschulp unleashed a volley that nicked the outside of the touchline and a blazing passing shot that propelled the Dutch to victory. Koolhof, 35, is also retiring here. He wasn’t ready to leave. He celebrated.
Nadal stood up and crossed his arms. The end had come.
Rafael Nadal retires from tennis
Rafael Nadal won four Davis Cups with Spain. This was not to be the case. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
When it was over, he tried to address the crowd in Spanish. The chant “Rafa, Rafa, Rafa” that followed him around the world drowned him out. Then they let their hero speak.
“I feel very lucky to receive so much,” he said.
“It has been an incredible privilege, an honor that we have enjoyed. We have achieved so much,” he said, addressing members of the Spanish tennis team past and present. Alcaraz looked dejected on the sidelines.
“No one ever wants to get to this moment – I’m not tired of playing tennis,” Nadal said.
“My body has gotten to a place where it can no longer perform. I feel privileged to have extended my career longer than expected. Thank you to life and to my team,” he added.
Video tributes came from legends and rivals: Serena Williams, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Conchita Martinez, Juan Martin del Potro. Spanish sports figures including Ballon d’Or holder Rodri, former Spain captain and goalkeeper Iker Casillas and striker Raul, as well as golfer Sergio Garcia lent their voices. David Beckham spoke to Nadal – in Spanish.
“I have tried to achieve my goals with respect, humility and appreciation for the good things I have experienced. I tried to be a good person and I hope you felt that. I am leaving the world of professional tennis after finding many friends,” Nadal said.
Later, Alcaraz offered his own tribute on X, also in Spanish. “There will be many more Davis Cups. There is only one Rafa.
“I became a professional tennis player thanks to you. It has been a blessing to experience your career, as a child whose idol you were and then as a teammate! The best possible ambassador, who leaves an eternal legacy,” he wrote.
It’s an ending that’s been coming for two years, with Nadal struggling for form and fitness since his last Grand Slam title at Roland Garros 2022.
He retires with 22 Grand Slam titles, just behind Djokovic in men’s tennis history with 24. He also won two Olympic gold medals – one in singles and one in doubles – and four Davis Cups, with a final total of 92 career singles titles.
Now 38, Nadal made his professional tennis debut in 2001 at a Futures event, which is the third tier of the ATP Tour. He began playing Challengers (a tier higher but still lower than the ATP main tour) towards the end of 2002, then made his main tour and Grand Slam debut the following year, reaching the third round of Wimbledon.
Two years later, he won his first Grand Slam at Roland Garros, the first of 14 titles at an event where he retired with a record of 116 games, 112 wins and four losses. He won four French Opens in a row between 2005 and 2008, and after that fourth title, he won his first major off clay a few weeks later by beating Roger Federer at Wimbledon in a 2000s classic.
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Nadal won his first Australian Open six months later in January 2009, but suffered his first ever loss at Roland Garros that year to Robin Soderling in the fourth round. He responded by winning five more consecutive French Opens between 2010 and 2014 and completing the “career Grand Slam” at age 24 by winning the 2010 US Open.
Injuries and a crisis of confidence saw him endure two barren years in 2015 and 2016, but with new coach Carlos Moya at his side, he bounced back to win a 10th French Open and a third US Open in 2017. This title “La Decima” in Paris marked the beginning of another. series of four consecutive titles at Roland Garros, between 2017 and 2020, the last of which was a tough two-set blow against Djokovic, so often his bête noire.
In 2022, he overtook Federer in the men’s Grand Slam rankings by winning the 21st and 22nd majors at the Australian and French Opens, with this 14th title in Paris proving to be his last Grand Slam.
Although best known for his fierce and indomitable will to win, Nadal was also one of the great shooters in tennis history and perhaps the most complete baseliner the sport has ever seen alongside Djokovic, powered by his ripped forehand with so much topspin that he kicked high. off the field and bamboozled the opponents. His rivalries with Federer and Djokovic, nicknamed the “Big Three”, produced some of the most memorable and high-quality matches in tennis history, each pushing the other to greater heights and creating three of the most great players in the history of tennis. history of men’s tennis in the process.
Two of them have now bowed out.
(Top photo: Oscar J. Barroso / Getty Images)