Rafael Nadal was ushered into an earlier-than-expected retirement on Tuesday night, as the Netherlands overcame hosts Spain in one of the great Davis Cup shocks.
Nadal had been comfortably beaten in the opening match of the tie, losing to Dutch No 2 Botic van de Zandschulp in a result which questioned the wisdom of the Spanish team’s selection.
Even then, though, most observers fancied that Spain would pull through and reach the Davis Cup semi-finals. They had world No 3 Carlos Alcaraz to play the second singles match, and also to partner with doubles No 1 Marcel Granollers in the deciding rubber.
But the plan came unstuck. Even though Alcaraz was relatively untroubled by his singles opponent, Tallon Griekspoor, he showed his doubles inexperience as he and Granollers went down to a crowd-silencing 7-6, 7-6 defeat.
Despite the bitter tang of the result – and the length of a contest that wrapped up a few minutes after midnight – the 11,500 fans in the Palacio de Deportes mostly stayed around to hear Nadal say a few final words.
He had to wait for at least a minute, because the crowd kept clapping and cheering and yelling “Rafa!” so loudly that no one could have been heard above the clamour. But eventually they quietened enough to let him thank everyone: his opponents, his family, and even – more unexpectedly – the media who covered him through his career.
“The titles, the numbers are there,” said a tearful Nadal in a brief English section of the ceremony. “But the way I would more like to be remembered is like a good person from a small village in Mallorca.
“I had the luck that I had an uncle who was a tennis coach and a family that supported me in every single moment. Just a kid that followed my dreams, worked as hard as possible to be what I am today, and in the end, a lot of people try their best every single day, but I am one of those that I have been very lucky. I achieved more than I ever dreamed.”
As is customary for these major leave-takings, a video played that featured goodwill messages from other giants of the game, including not only the rest of the so-called “Big Four” – Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray – but David Beckham as well, making a ropey attempt at Spanish.
Earlier, Nadal had finished his professional career in characteristically gladiatorial style, straining every sinew to keep pace with Van de Zandschulp. Unfortunately, those sinews are considerably less taut than they used to be.
In the interview room after his 6-4, 6-4 defeat, Nadal said that the decision to deploy him ahead of the singles alternatives – Pedro Martinez and Roberto Bautista Agut – had been made by one person and one person alone: Spanish captain David Ferrer.
“Have been a lot of conversations during the week,” said Nadal. “I practised quite well. David was confident that I was the player to play.
“I tried to help the team to put a win out there, but [it] was not possible. Just didn’t work.” He then suggested that, if Spain were lucky enough to go through, he should not be selected again. “If I would be the captain, probably I will change.”
At 38, Nadal still has the capacity to hit the occasional blinder. Take, for instance, the leaping backhand overhead he made early in the second set (watch below), which nearly blew the roof off the stadium. On a point-to-point basis, though, he is heavy-legged around the court and often looks like he is playing uphill.
The match was enjoyable as an occasion, offering plenty of fan excitement and one last glimpse of Nadal’s famous quirks: the pant-tugging, the line-walking and the water bottle-fiddling.
But while Nadal had declared himself fit and ready, there was evidence from early on that he did not back himself to play long rallies. He was making extensive use of serve-volley tactics, which would have been wholly alien to the young clay-courter who burst into our consciousness all those years ago by defeating Andy Roddick in an early Davis Cup clash.
In those days, Nadal could neither serve nor volley with any great penetration, relying almost entirely on his world-beating forehand. The fact that he would sharpen up those facets of his game so methodically offers a glimpse of his extraordinary work ethic. But this is still not his preferred style of play, and his reliance on it betrayed his own inner doubts.
The emotions of the occasion were clearly a factor for Nadal. We could see them written on his face some 20 minutes before the first ball was hit, as the Spanish team walked up the tunnel and out into the arena.
The other members of the team included Alcaraz, arguably the most thrilling young player to emerge in a generation. They might as well not have been there. The roars filled this hall with an almost physical intensity, but they were reserved for one man only. Well, one man and his oversized white bandanna, which seemed to glow with a saintly light.
As the anthems played, Nadal already looked suspiciously moist around the eyes, and then his bottom lip began to wobble as well. We rarely see him show anything less than complete focus, for he is the king of game-face. But here, making his last stand, he showed a more vulnerable side.
His game, too, was vulnerable to the cold-eyed, cold-blooded Van de Zandschulp – a quirky player who considered retirement during the summer, so poor was his form, yet regrouped effectively enough to shock Alcaraz at September’s US Open.
The only question related to Botic’s bottle: did he have enough to see Nadal off the premises? He gave the answer in no uncertain terms, fizzing a low and scudding forehand up the line to complete his win. Van de Zandschulp always comes across like a man with a low heartbeat, which must be useful when you are playing in front of a partisan mob who cheer every time you miss a serve. Not to mention the King of Spain, as well.
The defeat puts a rare stain on Nadal’s Davis Cup record, which now stands at 29 singles wins and only two losses (of which the previous came against Jiri Novak in his very first tie). But nothing will stain the extraordinary legend and legacy he leaves behind.
