Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek were among the tennis stars tuning in to what would be Rafael Nadal’s final match of his career.
Nadal fell to Botic van de Zandschulp in his Davis Cup Finals opener, before Carlos Alcaraz levelled the tie with his singles win.
But after beating Tallon Griekspoor, Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers lost their doubles match against Van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof.
The Netherlands secured a semi-final spot in Malaga with the victory, with Nadal now retiring from the sport.
Alcaraz has reached out to Nadal following his retirement, with the latter hanging up his racket as one of the all-time greats.
Coco Gauff left emotional watching Rafael Nadal at the Davis Cup Finals
It was certainly an emotional atmosphere at the Davis Cup Finals, with Nadal holding back the tears as the Spanish national anthem rang out before the opening game.
And that proved too much for WTA star Coco Gauff, who shared footage of an emotional Nadal on X with a sad emoji, before writing: “Today, I am from Spain.”
Iga Swiatek reacts as Rafael Nadal gets emotional during Spain’s national anthem
Gauff’s fellow WTA star Iga Swiatek was also left emotional watching the action unfold, with the Pole writing on X: “Too much,” with a crying emoji.”
Nadal gave it his all against Van de Zandschulp, but his recent injury record perhaps had an impact as the latter won 6-4, 6-4.
The Spaniard has not been as active as he would have liked this season, having fallen to 154th in the ATP rankings due to his lack of games and indeed inconsistency.
READ MORE: Jannik Sinner’s coach reacts to Rafael Nadal’s final tennis match at the Davis Cup
But the early exit takes nothing away from Nadal’s extraordinary career, which involves 22 Grand Slam titles.
The tributes will continue to pour in for the 38-year-old following his retirement, with football icon David Beckham among those messaging the Spaniard.
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