Rafael Nadal broke down in tears on an emotional farewell to competitive tennis when losing 6-4, 6-4 to Botic van de Zandschulp in the opening rubber of Spain’s Davis Cup quarter-final against the Netherlands in Malaga on Tuesday. The result gave the Dutch a 1-0 lead, with world number three Carlos Alcaraz in the second match seeking to square the tie.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion had announced that this tournament would indeed be the final bow of his brilliant career, after fighting injuries for the past two years. Clearly emotional from the national anthem, the home crowd supported the visibly moved 38-year-old throughout the match with chants of “Rafa, Rafa”.
Though this was a strong beginning, world number 154 Van de Zandschulp proved relentless in his aggressive play as Nadal struggled to cope. The Dutchman used the indoor hard-court surface to his advantage and exploited the weakness of Nadal’s backhand to break the Spaniard at 4-4 in the first set before sealing it with a cross-court winner.
The second set, however, was a different story as Nadal’s gameness began to shine. Down a set and a break, he surged back to take a break at 4-1 and narrowed it to 4-3 on consecutive games. But the resolute Van de Zandschulp served it out with two aces, before Nadal’s last shot went into the net, putting an end to his valiant effort.
Van de Zandschulp credited the atmosphere and Nadal’s legendary status, saying, “He is probably the biggest sportsman Spain has ever had.”
The onus now falls on Alcaraz as Spain trails, playing Tallon Griekspoor with the hosts seeking to keep their Davis Cup hopes alive and to extend Nadal’s farewell campaign. The winner here goes through to either Germany or Canada in the semi-finals.
