Adios Nadal as legend's career ends fittingly in Spain

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 before what he - and 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, the evening did turn out to mark the 22-time grand slam champion's farewell to professional tennis, because the Dutch eliminated the Spaniards in the quarter-finals.

The 38-year-old Nadal said beforehand that his feelings would need to be put on hold, that this week was about attempting to claim one last title for his country, not about pondering his impending retirement, which he announced last month would come after this event.

But he acknowledged after playing that the moment got to him, that "the emotions were difficult to manage," and that he felt nerves out there amid the roars of an adoring, sign-and flag-toting crowd that mostly showed up for one player and one player only.

After Nadal was beaten on the indoor hard court at the sold-out Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena in southern Spain, he became a cheerleader for his heir apparent, Carlos Alcaraz, who evened the match-up against the Dutch at one-all by getting past Tallon Griekspoor 7-6 (7-0) 6-3 in the other singles match.

But then van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof clinched the victory by defeating Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-3) in the deciding doubles match.

Even if Spain had managed to get past the Netherlands in the best-of-three-match quarter-final, Nadal said if he were his team's captain, he wouldn't pick himself to play again in the semis.

The result ended 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 debut all the way back in 2004.

"I lost my first match in the Davis Cup, and I lost my last one," Nadal said.

"So we close the circle."

When his match ended, he walked to the net for a quick hug with his opponent.

"That was a tough, tough match to play," said van de Zandschulp, noting that he idolised Nadal while growing up.

Nadal was just not able to bring his best, no matter how many chants of "Ra-fa!" or "Espana!" broke out, no matter how many signs or scarves reading "Gracias, Rafa!" or red-and-yellow Spanish flags of all sizes dotted the arena.

"(At this) moment of my career, I can't complain much. I go (out) there, I try my best, I try to enjoy and play with the right energy, with the right attitude," Nadal said.

"Just didn't work."

This version of Nadal had hip issues, including surgery in June 2023, and abdominal problems that combined to limit him to only 24 matches over the past two years.

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 quarter-finals alongside Alcaraz.

Nadal and Alcaraz - already a four-time major champion at age 21 - 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.

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.