A truly poisoned farewell gift. Before burning the last fires of a flamboyant career in Malaga, Rafael Nadal had warned. “There is no ideal ending. The ideal endings are in American films,” sighed the former world No. 1, 38, on the eve of the Davis Cup final phase.
And whatever the outcome of the quarter between Spain and the Netherlands on Tuesday evening, history will remember that the Mallorcan undoubtedly played the final singles of his life as a professional player by losing to to the Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp (6-4, 6-4 in 1h53) in a Martín Carpena Sports Palace shared between sadness and gratitude. The man with 22 Grand Slams and 14 Roland-Garros had a wet eye from the local anthem before the match. And with a heavy heart as he left the arena in the shoes of the loser.
“I'm here to help the team and I won't play if I'm not able to play,” he said on Monday. But it's difficult to resist the call of the court, even three and a half months after the last official appearance against Novak Djokovic in the 2nd round of the Paris Olympic Games.
And delicate for his captain and friend David Ferrer to deprive him of one last lap of the track in front of his loved ones and an entire country. In hindsight, we can legitimately ask ourselves the question of a collective lack of lucidity, as the Taurus of Manacor necessarily no longer has much of the ferocious and merciless animal that he once was.
Nadal running out of pace
Faced with an extremely feverish Van de Zandschulp and a subscriber to double faults, Nadal held on for eight games before seeing an inexorable defeat looming. Aware of his shortcomings in defense and his slow lateral movement, the five-time Davis Cup winner decided to move forward. An option that quickly burns out like a flash in the pan. Basically, the Iberian star lacked reflex, reactivity, length in his shots, benchmarks… and competition. This was particularly evident in tactical choice errors in the short game that were unusual for him.
In short, despite his unfailing commitment, some flashes of a now-gone golden era and his resistance in the second set when he was trailing 1-4, with a 1-5 ball on his opponent's serve to follow, ” Rafa” has shown his age and his body in capilade.
THE ” if possible » (yes, it's possible) chanted by the Andalusian public were not enough to avoid a second setback in 31 singles under the national jersey. The only defeat for the former king of the circuit dates back to… his first selection in 2004. The circle has come full circle.
“This was probably my last singles match”
“We were both very nervous,” summarizes “VDZ”, who will become public enemy No. 1 on the other side of the Pyrenees after eliminating Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open this year. It was really a special match with a tough crowd but that's normal, it's playing Rafa in Spain. Against these players, it's always complicated to finish a match, especially since I knew it could be his last. Maybe I held back a little…”
The Spaniards must now win the next two points (Alcaraz against Tallon Griekspoor, then the double) to qualify for the semi-final and extend the boss's tour. But even in this hypothesis, it seems quite difficult to imagine Nadal returning solo by the end of the week.
“The decision doesn’t belong to me,” he slips. It will be David's choice. Maybe the easy way would be to change myself to Roberto (Bautista Agut). If I were him, maybe I would change myself… I feel like that. It was probably my last match. I lost the first, I lost the last. » So, whatever happens and as we see plastered on all the walls of Malaga: Thanks, Rafa.
