Rafael Nadal Loses in Potential Final Match of Legendary Career at 2024 Davis Cup

Andrew PetersNovember 19, 2024

Angel Martinez/Getty Images for ITF

Rafael Nadal’s legendary tennis career came to an end on Tuesday.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion lost 6-4, 6-4 to the Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp in the Davis Cup. Nadal said in October that the tournament final would be his last professional event.

Spain was later eliminated from the Davis Cup after Carlos Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers lost to Wesley Koolhof and Van de Zandschulp.

BBC Sport @BBCSportRafa Nadal, you’ve been exceptional.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion has just played his final tournament.

What a player, what a career. pic.twitter.com/AZb9c0pHdk

“It’s in some ways good maybe if that was my last match,” Nadal said, per Tumaini Carayol of the Guardian. “…I lost my first match in the Davis Cup, and I lost my last one. So we close the circle.”

Nadal has dealt with a number of injuries over the past two years that have taken a toll on him on the court. He played just 24 matches since the start of 2023 after missing almost an entire year with a hip injury. The weight of his injuries was prevalent over his final two years, especially in Tuesday’s loss.

When he announced his retirement in October, he noted the strain injuries have caused him in recent years.

“The reality is that it has been some difficult years, these last two especially,” Nadal said. “I don’t think I have been able to play without limitations. It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make. But in this life, everything has a beginning and an end. And I think it’s the appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I ever could have imagined.”

Rafa Nadal @RafaelNadalMil gracias a todos
Many thanks to all
Merci beaucoup à tous
Grazie mille à tutti
谢谢大家
شكرا لكم جميعا
תודה לכולכם
Obrigado a todos
Vielen Dank euch allen
Tack alla
Хвала свима
Gràcies a tots pic.twitter.com/7yPRs7QrOi

While the last two years of his career didn’t go how he had hoped, he still leaves the sport having accomplished almost everything he could have asked for.

He won his first career grand slam in 2010 when he defeated rival Novak Djokovic in the U.S. Open final, becoming the youngest male tennis player to win all four major titles. From there, he won two Australian Opens, 14 French Opens, four U.S. Opens and was a two-time champion at Wimbledon.

He held the record for the most major men’s singles titles with 22 until Djokovic surpassed him. He also won Olympic gold medals for Spain in 2008 and 2016.