'I have left a legacy': Emotional Rafa retires

After Nadal, a 14-time French Open champion, was beaten on the indoor hard court in southern Spain, he became a cheerleader for his heir apparent, Carlos Alcaraz, who evened the matchup against the Netherlands at 1-1 by getting past Tallon Griekspoor 7-6 (0), 6-3 in the other singles match. But then Van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof clinched the victory for the Dutch by defeating Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3) in the deciding doubles match.

Even if Spain had managed to get past the Netherlands, Nadal said that if he were his team's captain, he wouldn't pick himself to play again in the semifinals after his performance against the 80th-ranked Van de Zandschulp.

At least he was in a joking mood after the result put a stop to his 29-match winning streak in Davis Cup singles. The only other blemish on his record, which stood at 29-1 entering Tuesday, came on his 2004 debut.

"I lost my first match in the Davis Cup, and I lost my last one," Nadal said with a wide grin. "So we close the circle."

When a forehand found the net to close his last match, Nadal walked to the net for a quick hug with his opponent.

"That was a tough, tough match to play," said Van de Zandschulp, noting that he idolized Nadal while growing up.

In certain ways, this was, unmistakably, the Nadal that Van de Zandschulp — and so many others — can remember. The white headband, marked with the red bull logo that Nadal made famous. The white tape wrapped around all four of his left, racket-holding fingers. The water bottles by his sideline bench, placed just so.

There was the occasional ace right on a line. The occasional serve-and-volley foray. The occasional over-the-shoulder putaway. And, yes, the occasional uppercut and scream of "vamos!" There also were — neither to Nadal's or most of the 9,200 spectators' liking — several points where he looked like a once-dominant figure diminished by age and injuries.

Nadal was just not able to bring his best, no matter how many chants of "Ra-fa!" "Espana!" Or "si, se puede" ("yes, you can") broke out, and certainly no matter how many scarves reading "gracias, Rafa", or red-and-yellow Spanish flags of all sizes filled the arena.

This version of Nadal had hip issues, including surgery in June 2023, and abdominal problems that combined to limit him to only 24 matches over the past two years. He went 12-8 in singles in 2024.