Botic Van de Zandschulp has reacted to what he described as the toughest match of his career when he retired Rafael Nadal at the Davis Cup finals.
The 28-year-old backed up his victory over the 22-time Grand Slam champion by outlasting Daniel Altmaier 6-4, 6-7(12), 6-3 in the semi-finals.
He put the Netherlands 1-0 against Germany before Tallon Griekspoor sent them into the final after coming from behind to defeat Jan-Lennard Struff 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-4.
This means that The Netherlands have reached the Davis Cup championship match for the first time in their 104 years playing in the competition.
What did Botic Van de Zandschulp say about his Davis Cup match against Rafael Nadal?
The Netherland’s Davis Cup tie began with Botic van de Zandschulp taking on Daniel Altmaier from Germany. After converting his 10th match point, he claimed a three-set victory to put his country one step closer to the first final.
After Griekspoor needed three sets to overcome Struff, the celebrations began as the Dutch team’s magical campaign in Malaga continued.
Post-match Van de Zandschulp reacted to his victory and spoke of how he managed playing in another high-pressure match after handing Rafael Nadal a loss in his final match.
“I’m not sure actually [how I did it], I didn’t know what to do anymore on those match points,” the 29-year-old said.
“In the second set, I had 4-2 15-40, I felt like if I had made the double break there, it would be game, set and match.
“In the tie-break, he handled some of the match points quite well, actually. I had the toughest match of my life on Tuesday, so everything that comes next is a little bit easier.”
Botic Van de Zandschulp paid tribute to Rafael Nadal after he retired at the Davis Cup
Against Nadal Van de Zandschulp broke in the ninth game of the first set before taking the lead, and he opened up a 4-1 lead in the second set.
But Nadal showed his trademark fighting spirit and claimed one of the breaks back and reduced the deficit to 4-3.
But he was also unable to break serve again for the rest of the match and Van de Zandschulp claimed a 6-4, 6-4 win. This is Nadal’s first singles defeat in the Davis Cup since his debut in 2004.
Van de Zandschulp then took to Instagram to send a message to Nadal, who brought an emotional end to his 23-year career on Tuesday evening.
“A special evening for many reasons,” the Dutchman said. “The most special reason was that it was the end of Rafael Nadal’s career as a professional tennis player.
“He is the player that I watched for hundreds of hours since I was a young kid who dreamed of playing on the big stages. I never imagined playing against him one day, especially to share this moment with a true legend. Gracias, Rafa.”
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