Rafael Nadal immediately became emotional ahead of his potential last match.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion is retiring at this week’s Davis Cup Finals. He was picked to face Botic van de Zandschulp in the No. 2 singles match in Spain’s quarter-final tie against the Netherlands.
As Spain took to the court for their national anthem head of the match, Nadal quickly teared up.
Ahead of the Spain vs Netherlands Davis Cup quarter-final tie, both teams lined up on the court in Malaga to hear their respective national anthems play.
As the Spanish anthem rang out inside the Jose Maria Martin Carpena Arena, Nadal could be seen welling up.
When the music ended, Nadal’s Spanish teammates followed the crowd in applauding the 22-time Grand Slam champion in his farewell tournament. The 38-year-old looked emotional as he soaked up the atmosphere.
The Spanish team announced their nominations for Tuesday’s tie an hour before they took to the court. There had been plenty of speculation over whether Nadal would play the first singles match but the players and captain kept their cards close to their chest during their pre-tournament press conference on Monday.
The former world No. 1 had stressed that he would only take to the court if he believed he could help his team win. Meanwhile, the Dutch squad admitted they were preparing to face Nadal.
Ahead of his farewell, the 38-year-old explained that he wouldn’t know how he would feel until he came out for the tie. But it was clear that the moment was getting to him when he lined up for the national anthem.
“I don’t know how I will feel,” he said ahead of the quarter-final tie. “I am not here to retire. I am here to help the team. The emotion is going to be for the end. Before and during it is about focusing on what we need to do.”
It may not be Nadal’s last match. If Spain win the tie, they will play their semi-final on Friday. And if they reach the final, they will be back in action on Sunday.
Nadal isn’t the only one who will be feeling the pressure in his potential final match. Ahead of their tie, Van de Zandschulp admitted that he didn’t want to think about being the Spaniard’s last opponent or it would drive him “crazy”.
“It is true that everyone will be following our tie, but if Spain wins they will still have to play more, so it is not really known when Nadal’s last match as a professional will be,” the world No. 80 told Marca.
“Of course I have thought about that possibility, although I try not to think about it too much because I think I would go crazy.”
Nadal won his previous two meetings against the 29-year-old at the French Open and Wimbledon in 2022.
