Rafael Nadal lost 6-4, 6-4 to Botic van de Zandschulp in his first match at this year’s Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.
After 23 years on the ATP Tour, Nadal will hang up his racket upon the conclusion of the 2024 Davis Cup Finals.
Nadal won 22 Grand Slam titles during his time as a professional, 14 of those coming at the French Open, a record many believe will remain untouched.
After suffering with a number of injuries in his latter years, Nadal announced his retirement from the sport earlier this year, with many of his fellow tennis stars paying tribute to his legendary career.
With his ‘last dance’ set, many had speculated whether Nadal would play singles or doubles at the Davis Cup.
Those rumors were put to bed ahead of Spain’s Davis Cup tie against the Netherlands, as it was confirmed that Nadal would come up against Van de Zandschulp in the singles.
A match that didn’t quite go to plan for the retiring Spaniard.
Botic van de Zandschulp on ‘tough’ Spanish crowd during win over Rafael Nadal
Speaking on court following his straight sets win over Nadal at the Davis Cup, Van de Zandschulp gave his thoughts on how the crowd conducted themselves.
“The crowd was tough,” he said.
“Understandable.
“That’s what it is to play in Spain against Rafa [Nadal].”
Nadal became frustrated with the Malaga crowd at points during the match, as they were cheering for his Dutch opponent’s mistakes.
Van de Zandschulp went on to describe just how special it was to beat Nadal at his final tournament.
“He’s the biggest sportsman here that ever lived,” he said.
“It’s a really special event.
“It’s tough to close a match against him.
“Knowing it could be his last… I just went for it and it helped at the end.”
Whilst the Dutchman was aware of the overwhelming Spanish support, he didn’t forget to thank the travelling Dutch fans.
“There were too many people from Spain here cheering for him,” joked Van de Zandschulp.
“I understand, if I was sitting next to the court I will cheer for him as well, but they [The Dutch fans] came out a lot and I needed them today.”
Can Spain still advance to the semi-finals of the Davis Cup?
Despite Nadal’s loss to Van de Zandschulp in the opening contest of the Davis Cup, all hope is not lost for the Spaniards.
World number three Carlos Alcaraz will take to the court next against Tallon Griekspoor knowing that a win will set the stage for a deciding doubles tie.
The 21-year-old will be confident of levelling things up, considering his head-to-head record against the Dutchman.
| Winner | Tournament | Score |
| Carlos Alcaraz | 2024 Beijing Open – R16 | 6-1, 6-2 |
| Carlos Alcaraz | 2024 Paris Olympics – R32 | 6-1, 7-6 |
| Carlos Alcaraz | 2023 Indian Wells – R32 | 7-6, 6-3 |
| Carlos Alcaraz | 2022 Wimbledon – R64 | 6-4, 7-6, 6-3 |
Having won all four of their previous meetings in straight sets, Alcaraz will be hoping to do the same later on Tuesday.
He may well need to get things done quickly, as the four-time Major champion is set to return once more in the doubles, should it be required.
Partnered with doubles specialist Marcel Granollers, Alcaraz could come up against the Dutch duo of Van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhoff for a place in the last four.
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