Rafael Nadal has seen the curtain come down on his tennis career after Spain were beaten by the Netherlands in the quarter-final of the Davis Cup.
A crowd of almost 12,000 were on their feet as Nadal waved goodbye to the game he’s devoted the majority of his life to.
The 14-time winner of the French Open was beaten in his singles rubber by Botic van de Zandshulp and the decision to pick Nadal in the singles was possibly wrong.
Despite an iconic career, the Spaniard has endured a pretty rotten 12 months and it might sound harsh but he won’t look back at his last year on the tour with any real fondness.
Nadal was given a brilliant reception after Spain had tasted defeat but there was something sticking in the throat of many tennis supporters at the coverage of his farewell.
Tennis fans livid after what happened during television coverage of Rafael Nadal’s speech
This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Not only were the Netherlands the big party poopers but the television broadcaster were under heavy scrutiny too.
Nadal was forced to deliver every answer in Spanish and English with a translator of a Spanish speaker nowhere in sight.
Another Nadal fan was equally incensed and said: “Absolutely disgusting coverage of a legend’s retirement.”
Rennae Stubbs also fuming with the coverage of Rafael Nadal’s farewell speech
The tennis fans weren’t the only ones incensed, with Renaee Stubbs venting her frustrations on social media too.
She posted: “Hey TC some people can understand Spanish. So let’s hear it, no matter what! I mean no offense to the commentators but get some Spanish interpretation on the screen. I’m livid.”
Stubbs is the host of The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast and is also a former professional player herself.
The Australian never went further than the second round at a Grand Slam and achieved a career-high ranking of 64 during a 19-year career.
Stubbs excelled in doubles, however, and won four Grand Slam titles, including Wimbledon twice.
She’s also a respected coach and spent time with Karolina Pliskova, Samantha Stosur and more recently Genie Bouchard and Serena Williams.
Stubbs is spot on with her quotes on the Nadal farewell footage and hopefully, the Tennis Channel can learn from this debacle.
For such a reputable organisation when it comes to tennis this really was an almighty faux pas on their part!
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