Rafael Nadal will now say an emotional goodbye to tennis after his career came to an end at the Davis Cup Finals.
Nadal lost to Botic van de Zandschulp in his last-ever match, with the Spaniard having now retired from the sport at the age of 38.
Spain went on to lost 2-1 to the Netherlands in their Davis Cup Finals quarter-final, much to the disappointment of the Malaga crowd.
Carlos Alcaraz was left emotional by Nadal’s impending retirement, although the former did manage to win his singles match.
Alcaraz beat Tallon Griekspoor in game two, only to lose his doubles clash with Marcel Granollers against Van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof.
Carlos Alcaraz messages Rafael Nadal after Davis Cup exit
Nadal can, of course, still hold his head very high thanks to his stunning career, during which he won 22 Grand Slam titles.
Among those reaching out to the icon following his final match was Alcaraz, with the young Spaniard writing on Instagram, translated from Spanish: “There will be many more Davis, Rafa there is only one. Thanks to you I have become a professional tennis player.
“It’s been a blessing to be able to live your career as a child you idolized and then as a teammate more! The best ambassador possible who leaves an everlasting legacy.”
How quickly can Carlos Alcaraz close the gap on Rafael Nadal?
Alcaraz will undoubtedly miss Nadal more than most, with the former having clearly learned a lot from the latter over their years.
Their shared nationality is clearly a key reason behind such inspiration, with the duo having shared the court together as well as going head-to-head.
Nadal retires with a 2-1 head-to-head record over his compatriot, a feat that not perhaps many players will be able to boast in the years to come given Alcaraz’s huge potential.
The 21-year-old will need time to get over the 38-year-old’s absence, but the former can certainly use the latter’s career as inspiration for future success.
| Titles | Australian Open | French Open | Wimbledon | US Open | |
| Rafael Nadal | 22 | 2 | 14 | 2 | 4 |
| Carlos Alcaraz | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Nadal bows out with a stunning 92 ATP Tour-level titles in total, with Alcaraz doing his utmost to replicate such success.
And he is undoubtedly going about it the right way, with the Spaniard already on 16 tour-level titles, including a very impressive four Grand Slams.
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