MALAGA, Spain: Rafael Nadal bit his lower lip and his eyes scanned the stands as he stood alongside his Davis Cup teammates for Spain’s national anthem Tuesday before what he — and everyone — knew might be the last match of his career, a 6-4, 6-4 loss to Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands.
There were no tears streaming down Nadal’s cheeks, no outward sign of what this 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. Nadal 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.
The 38-year-old Spaniard announced last month this event would be it for him as a professional tennis player after two years of injuries that limited him to competing only sparingly, but no one could be sure if that end would arrive in Tuesday’s quarterfinals or later in the Davis Cup Final 8, which wraps up Sunday.
Nadal’s defeat in the opening contest was only the start of the best-of-three Spain vs. Netherlands matchup on an indoor hard court at the sold-out Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena in southern Spain. It was to be followed by No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz against No. 40 Tallon Griekspoor later Tuesday, and doubles, too, if the teams were tied 1-all after singles.
So it was up to Nadal’s countrymen to extend his career. If Spain managed to advance to the semifinals, 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.’”
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.
In certain ways, this was, unmistakably, the Nadal everyone remembers. The white headband, marked with the red bull logo he made famous. The white tape wrapped around all four of his left, racket-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.
There also were, neither to Nadal’s or most of the 9,200 spectators’ liking, several points where he did look like what he truly is right now: a once-dominant figure diminished by age and injuries. His forehand didn’t always have the same verve, and his total of 10 groundstroke winners was barely half of van de Zandschulp’s 19. His footwork and speed were hardly what they once were, no matter how many chants of “Ra-fa!” or “España!” broke out in a bid to spur him.
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, came in 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 quarterfinals alongside Alcaraz.
Nadal and Alcaraz — at 21, a four-time major champion considered his heir apparent — practiced with each other hours before the start of play. 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.
Nadal will forever be remembered for his rivalries with Federer and 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, announced his departure in 2022; only Djokovic, 37, remains active.
All three were talented. All three were successful. All three were popular.
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.
In an example of the sort of home-court advantage frequently seen at this team event — more soccer rowdiness than stereotypical tennis genteelness — they jeered and whistled whenever the contingent of Netherlands fans in a small section of the lower bowl tried to offer encouragement to their guy.
During play, Nadal’s backers shouted “Si, se puede!” (“Yes, you can!”) to try to encourage him. Nadal, simply, could not.

MALAGA: “I think no one would have ever imagined a script like this,” Feliciano Lopez tells Arab News at the Martin Carpena Arena in Malaga, where Rafael Nadal is set to play the last tournament of his professional career alongside his Spanish teammates in the Davis Cup Finals.

Lopez, a longtime friend and teammate of Nadal, is the tournament director of the Davis Cup Finals and finds it poetic that the Spanish legend has chosen this team competition to be the last stop of his storied career.

“2004 Rafa wins the Davis Cup in Seville, I think that was probably the first big turning point of his career, in my opinion,” reflects Lopez.

“And then 20 years later, his career is coming to an end, playing the same competition, playing in Spain, in his country, alongside Carlos Alcaraz, who I think is a true blessing, because in a country like Spain, it’s very difficult to see that kind of athlete.

“Rafa is going to be playing his final professional tournament and we have Carlos Alcaraz having already four Grand Slams, it’s a true blessing.”

Spain’s greatest sports icon ending his professional tennis career by sharing a team with his heir apparent is indeed as good as it gets for the home fans that will fill up the 11,000-capacity arena when Nadal and Co. take on the Netherlands in the quarterfinals on Tuesday (5pm local time, 7pm KSA time).

“Also the fact that David (Ferrer, the former world No. 3) is the captain, it’s another nice coincidence. They are friends, they were teammates, they were rivals as well,” added Lopez, referring to Spain’s Davis Cup captain.

“Me here as a tournament director, I don’t know who would have been able to write this beautiful script. But I think it’s going to be very emotional, a lot of things coming to our minds, but of course Rafa is going to be the one playing the main role I think this week.”

Lopez, who officially retired from professional tennis last year and serves as tournament director at the Davis Cup Finals and the Madrid Open, first met a 15-year-old Nadal in Seville – just 200km north-west of Malaga – where they shared a practice session together.

“I was amazed by the intensity he was putting already at 15 years old,” he recalls.

Lopez’s funniest memory of his countryman was when Nadal made his Davis Cup debut in an away tie against the Czech Republic in 2004.  

Nadal was still 17 at the time and lost in straight sets in his first singles and doubles matches that weekend. But the tie was still in play thanks to Tommy Robredo, who won the other singles clash, allowing the Spaniards to enter the last day of action trailing the Czechs 1-2, with two singles showdowns to come.

Just as Lopez was about to take to the court for a do-or-die match against Tomas Berdych, a teenage Nadal stopped him in his tracks.

“I was literally almost putting my feet on the court and I saw Rafa coming towards me, running. I was a bit concerned, ‘What’s going on, what’s wrong Rafa?’” Lopez recounted.

“He said, ‘No, no Feli, I just want to wish you good luck, and please, you have to win this match and I will take care of the rest’.

“I will never forget, he was 17 years old, he made his debut, lost the two matches he played and he was convinced and he was so determined that he was going to win the deciding match; and that tells you everything about the way he thinks and the way he is. I will never forget that.”

Nadal, of course, clinched the tie for Spain by winning the fifth match in straight sets over Radek Stepanek, who was ranked 49 in the world at the time. A few months later, he shocked world No. 2 Andy Roddick of the United States to help Spain secure the Davis Cup title at home in Seville.

Spain is not short on sporting legends, but Lopez does not hesitate to dub Nadal the greatest of them all.

“He's the best sportsman of our history of course, with all respect to the others, because we have plenty of them, and very good ones,” said the 43-year-old.

“He’s by far our best athlete and his legacy is going to be also as a human being. Because his titles, of course, are not going to be forgotten, that’s for sure. But it’s very rare to see someone that good, tennis-wise, but also his legacy as a human being is going to be maybe bigger and better than his legacy as a tennis player.

“This is for me something unbelievable.”

In a career that spanned over two decades, Nadal won 92 titles, including 22 Grand Slams. Novak Djokovic is the only man in history to have amassed more major trophies.

Asked what he personally believes makes Nadal special, Lopez said: “I think his passion – he’s someone very passionate, he does everything with a lot of passion in his life.

“As a tennis player, I will say his intensity, from the first point until the last point, and this is something very rare to see. Tennis matches can be very long and you see up and downs all the time with almost every player, but with Rafa it’s a different story. He’s able to play with a lot of intensity and his self-belief also is something I think out of this world. That’s really something also remarkable.”

Lopez added: “But also tennis-wise, he’s a very complete player. He’s so powerful, the speed of his ball is completely different than any of the players. There was always a lot of talk regarding his fitness condition, his mentality and his intensity, all these things, but I think tennis-wise he’s top three in the history of the sport, otherwise I don’t think he would have been able to achieve everything that he achieved.”

Tickets for Tuesday evening’s quarterfinal between Spain and the Netherlands were sold out the minute Nadal announced he would be retiring after the Davis Cup and even participating players and captains have joked that they’re unable to score a seat in the arena for the Mallorcan’s farewell event.

“We can't get tickets. I think the tickets are going for $100,000. If you want to pay for me, I'll go,” laughed USA team captain and doubles legend Bob Bryan.

“Of course since Rafa decided that this is going to be his last professional tournament, the expectations increased all over the world and everyone wants to be present here today and there’s no room for everyone. So we’re getting ready for a big week,” said Lopez.