Malaga, Spain

Tennis great Rafael Nadal has bid farewell to an illustrious career after Spain exited at the Davis Cup 2024 on Tuesday (Nov 19) in Malaga. Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam winner therefore dropped curtains on a career that spanned more than two decades having earlier announced his intention to retire at the end of the Davis Cup. The exit was confirmed after Botic van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof secured a 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/3) win in doubles with Nadal having lost 6-4, 6-4 in straight sets earlier in the day.

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Nadal bids farewell

Having graced the game for over two decades, the 38-year-old was in the twilight of his career and needed Spain to temporarily extend his career with the Netherlands in the running in the quarterfinal. However, his defeat to Van de Zandschulp put Spain on the back foot in the first singles match. This was followed by Carlos Alcaraz’s 7-6 (7/0), 6-3 victory over Tallon Griekspoor in the other singles match taking the tie to deciding men’s doubles where the Dutch came out on top. 

Nadal appeared emotional during the Spanish national anthem, and over 10,000 fans filled the arena with chants of "Rafa, Rafa," when it ended.

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"I was having an emotional day, nerves before what could be my last singles match as a professional," said Nadal.

"The emotions of hearing the national anthem for the last time as a professional were very special."

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Nadal’s legacy lives on

A 22-time Grand Slam champion, the Spaniard was nicknamed King of Clay for his outright dominance at the French Open. The 38-year-old won an astonishing 14 titles in the French capital and only lost four matches. He has won the Australian Open and Wimbledon twice, highlighting his dominance on all surfaces. He won four US Open singles titles while also winning the 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medal to complete a gold slam.

Nadal is also a four-time Davis Cup winner with Spain, having won his last honour in 2019. His last Grand Slam title win at the 2022 Australian Open also saw him become the most successful men’s singles tennis player, only to be overtaken by Novak Djokovic, now residing with 24 Grand Slam titles.