Rafael Nadal on Tuesday night said farewell to tennis, while his fans saluted their retiring hero in a bittersweet and emotional ceremony at a sold-out Malaga arena following his last professional match in Spain’s 2-1 Davis Cup defeat to the Netherlands.
Holding back tears as he tried to compose himself, Nadal gave a near 15-minute speech that stretched into the early hours yesterday.
The 22-times Grand Slam champion had earlier lost 6-4, 6-4 to the Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp, ending a 29-match singles winning streak in the Davis Cup and bringing the curtain down on his glittering career.
Photo: Reuters
“What I have tried to do is to be a good person and I hope you have perceived that,” Nadal told the Malaga crowd.
“I leave with the peace of mind that I have left a legacy, which I really feel is not just a sporting one, but a personal one,” he said. “I understand that the love I have received, if it was just for what happened on the court, would not be the same.”
After the 38-year-old announced last month he was ending his playing career following the Davis Cup Final Eight, his farewell party was not what he would have hoped for as he lost his last match and Spain crashed out.
While his teammate Carlos Alcaraz leveled the tie by beating Tallon Griekspoor 7-6 (7/0), 6-3, Spain’s new tennis king and Marcel Granollers were defeated in the decisive doubles by Wesley Koolhof and Van de Zandschulp.
“It’s obvious that it didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to. I have given what I had. I want to thank you for allowing me the opportunity to spend these last days as a professional team player,” Nadal said.
“My body has told me it doesn’t want to play tennis anymore and I have to accept that. I am privileged. I have been able to make my hobbies my profession. I am fortunate,” he said.
Crushed by a defeat in which he looked a shadow of himself, Nadal had earlier said that if he was Spain’s Davis Cup captain he would not pick himself to play singles if they advanced in the tournament.
He said he felt prepared and played the best he could, but was not going to apologize for the loss.
“It’s not my decision [whether I play], that’s why we have a captain [David Ferrer] and I’m not the captain,” Nadal said.
Nadal was celebrated with a video montage on the many screens around the arena where more than 10,000 fans saw his career come to a close.
Former rival Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Serena Williams and other tennis greats left messages in the video, alongside former Spanish soccer stars, including Raul and Andres Iniesta, who retired in October.
“I leave the world of professional tennis having encountered many good friends along the way,” Nadal said in his emotional speech.
World No. 3 Alcaraz, 21, is one of the game’s brightest talents and a player some hope can become Nadal’s heir.
“His legacy is going to be eternal,” Alcaraz told reporters. “He has been great for tennis, for the sport in general, it is difficult — at least for me — to feel that I should continue the legacy that he has left.”
“He gave everything he had in the tank [in his final match], all of his energy ... it’s sad to see him go but we have to accept it,” Alcaraz added.
Ferrer also paid tribute to Nadal.
“There are people who will be remembered for their achievements in life, others until the end of their days, and others eternally,” Ferrer said. “You [Nadal] will be remembered eternally.”
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