Rafael Nadal expressed his desire to be remembered as a good person and a young man who accomplished more than he ever dreamed during an emotional goodbye to tennis in Malaga.
Nadal faced a straightforward defeat, 6-4, 6-4, against Botic van de Zandschulp , marking his first singles loss in Davis Cup in two decades after an impressive 29-match winning streak. The quarter-final match concluded in the early hours of Wednesday, with the Netherlands overcoming Spain 2-1, ending Nadals career.
Just before the match began, Nadal was seen in tears as he and his teammates listened to the national anthem on-court, but he managed to gather himself to compete.
"It has certainly been an emotional day," Nadal reflected. "That's how I felt. Moreover, experiencing the national anthem for the last time was very special. And, of course, having a mix of emotions makes things a bit more challenging."
During a post-match ceremony, he expressed gratitude to his family, his team, and the thousands of fans waving Spanish flags who came to support him at the Martin Carpena Arena .
