Rafael Nadal has declared that he has 'closed the circle' on his illustrious tennis career, which concluded at the Davis Cup in Málaga. 'It’s in some ways good, maybe, if that was my last match,' Nadal said, smiling, shortly after his singles match. 'I lost my first match in the Davis Cup, and I lost my last one. So we close the circle.' Nadal was defeated 6-4, 6-4 by Botic van de Zandschulp, marking his first Davis Cup singles loss in 20 years after a remarkable streak of 29 consecutive wins. In the early hours of Wednesday morning, the quarter-final tie concluded with the Netherlands defeating Spain 2-1, bringing Nadal’s career to a close.
Moments before the match, Nadal was visibly emotional as he and his teammates stood on-court to listen to the national anthem. 'Of course it has been an emotional day,' Nadal said. 'That’s the way that I felt. And then of course the emotions, feeling the national anthem for the last time … very special. And then of course a little bit of mixed feelings makes the things a little bit more difficult.' As the tie progressed, Nadal waited to learn the outcome of his career. After Alcaraz brought Spain back to 1-1 against the Netherlands with a 7-6 (0), 6-3 win over Tallon Griekspoor, Wesley Koolhof and Van de Zandschulp sealed the tie with a 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3) win over Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers.
Following the match, Nadal remained on-court for a special ceremony where he addressed the crowd, expressing gratitude to his family and supporters throughout his career. Nadal was moved to tears as his rivals and colleagues, including Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, and Andy Murray, paid tribute to him in a video montage. 'The truth is that you never want to get to this point. I’m not tired of playing tennis, but my body doesn’t want to play anymore and you have to accept that,' Nadal said. 'I feel super privileged, I’ve been able to make my hobby my profession for a long time. I also remember my family, my team, you have been an unforgettable part of my life for all these years.'
When asked how he would like to be remembered in the sport, Nadal responded: 'The way I would like to be remembered is as a good person from a small village in Mallorca. That I had the life that I had. I had my uncle who was a tennis coach in my village when I was a small kid. Just a kid that followed their dreams, worked as hard as possible to be where I am today. At the end of the day, being honest, a lot of people work hard, a lot of people try their best every day. But I am one of those who is lucky.'
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