Rafael Nadal's potential farwell outing in professional tennis ended in defeat as the Spaniard was outclassed by Dutch star Botic van de Zandschulp 6-4, 6-4 in the first match of the quarterfinal between Spain and Netherlands in the 2024 Davis Cup. This ends a remarkable streak of 29 wins in a row for Nadal.
Nadal is now dependent on other results and might have played the final match of his career at the professional level. Carlos Alcaraz will take the court next to face world no. 40 Tallon Griekspoo in the second singles match. Nadal is not going to play the doubles with Carlos Alcaraz paired with Marcel Granollers, with them set to face Van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof.
Spain will need to win both matches in order to qualify for the semi-finals of the mega event, where they will face Germany and Canada on Friday (November 22). If the six-time champions manage to secure a place in the last four, Nadal will get another chance at taking the court, or else the defeat to van de Zandschulp will mark the end of his career.
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After the match, Nadal was visibly emotional and acknowleged the crowd, who gave him a standing ovation.
This was Nadal's first outing in a professional match in more than three months. His last appearence came in the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he lost in the Round of 32 to Novak Djokovic in the singles. His doubles campaign (alongside Carlos Alcaraz) ended in the quarterfinals after losing to the American pair of Austin Kajicek and Rajeev Ram.
The 2024 Davis Cup finals mark the end of a remarkable career lasting over two decades for Nadal, where he has become arguably the greatest to play the sport in history. Nadal has won a stunning tally of 22 Grand Slams, which makes him the second most decorated male player in history, only behind Novak Djokovic.
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Nadal announced his retirement from the sport last month after struggling with injuries for the last two seasons.