Jannik Sinner’s coach reacts to Rafael Nadal’s final tennis match at the Davis Cup

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It wasn’t supposed to end like this but the curtain has now officially come down on the career of legendary tennis player Rafael Nadal.

The Spaniard was supposed to sail off into the sunset after helping his country with the Davis Cup but an inspired Netherlands team failed to give the script a once-over.

It was announced yesterday afternoon by coach David Ferrer that Nadal would be playing in the singles – and in reality, that was perhaps a mistake.

The 14-time French Open champion looked out of sorts as Botic van de Zandschulp won in straight sets to pile the pressure on Carlos Alcaraz.

The reigning Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion did make the score 1-1 by beating Tallon Griekspoor to take it to a deciding rubber.

Alcaraz alongside Marco Granollers failed to beat Van De Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof and that has seen the curtain drop on Nadal’s career.

Naturally, the reaction has been immense and Darren Cahill – the coach of world number one Jannik Sinner – has now taken to social media.

• READ MORE: Rafael Nadal has honest advice for David Ferrer after Davis Cup exit

Darren Cahill reacts as Rafael Nadal officially retires

It’s sad that it’s ended like this but in hindsight, this retirement is arguably coming 12 months after it should have been announced.

Nadal has not looked comfortable when he’s made it on court all year and he didn’t play his best tennis yesterday at all.

After the match, a number of people reacted and sent congratulatory messages to Nadal as he delivered a fond farewell to tennis.

One of those was the coach of Sinner, Darren Cahill, who took to X shortly after Spain were dumped out of the Davis Cup by the Netherlands.

He said: “The players champion. The coaches champion. The fans champion. The next generations champion. He has it all covered. He did it all. Congratulations, Rafa!”

Rafael Nadal achievements as retirement is officially confirmed

Frankly, Nadal won the lot and then some! The man with 14 French Open crowns in his trophy cabinet is an iconic figure in the sport of tennis.

He might not have won the amount of major titles that Novak Djokovic has but his all-action, never-say-die approach to tennis makes him one of the most likeable players to have ever played.

Nadal has always maintained humility after defeats and his celebrations during success have been some of the best ever witnessed on a tennis court.

The Spaniard should now look forward to a little rest and it will be fascinating to see what comes next for Nadal in the future.

The time is definitely right for him to call it quits and he can look back on a tremendous career during which he’s captured the hearts of tennis fans across the globe.