Rafa Nadal and his story could have seen its end today. The Spaniard couldn't secure a victory in the 2024 Davis Cup in the first match of Spain against the Netherlands. Botic Van de Zandschulp spoiled the party for Rafa and the whole of Spain by winning 6-4 6-4. The Dutchman withstood the support of the entire Martín Carpena towards his player and managed to extinguish the fire of a Nadal who tried to turn the match around with grit, hope, and conviction. However, the Spaniard couldn't hold on to a match that Botic had under control from nearly the beginning. Rafa had not lost an individual Davis Cup match since 2004 (the only defeat). But will this be Nadal's last match in his career? Everything now depends on Carlos Alcaraz, who must win his match so that Spain can play it all in the doubles match.
The emotion of watching Nadal for the last time began to unsettle his opponent from the start. After dominating with his serve in the first game, everything seemed to collapse with three consecutive double faults. The Spaniard wanted to seize his opportunity as it could be the only one, but the Dutchman prevented him from delighting the audience. The early games were very lengthy, in true Nadal style, as he likes them, but for the opponent, it was a struggle. Botic shined with his service and his backhand, while the Spaniard relied on serve-and-volley with smart points, trying to defend himself against the deep returns of the opponent.
Indeed, the Dutchman was causing quite some trouble there. As for Nadal's form, we saw how this start cost him more, although he still had another chance to push Botic when he faltered with his serve. But it didn't work. Once again, Rafa failed to unsettle Van de Zandschulp, neither with his forehand, nor by returning to the body, nor with the crowd's support. Thus, what many did not want to happen eventually happened, despite the Spaniard's fight. The Dutchman broke his serve to silence the Martín Carpena. A few errors from Nadal, who fell short, gave his opponent the chance to close the set on his serve.
Rafa lights up 'Martín Carpena' with a display of great faith
Rafa needed one of his 'Nadaladas,' one of those epic comebacks he has been giving us throughout his career. The Spaniard struggled a lot with his opponent's sliced shots, despite showing flashes of his typical self with some backward shots again. Botic's strong returns and parallel backhand did not help Nadal at all, as his strategic tennis failed to prevent a dangerous double break. But that didn't mean the Spaniard didn't fight at all. Rafa filled the court with his unique aura of fighting, never giving up on a point, in short, holding onto hope until the end.
Stubborn as he is, he made the entire Martín Carpena tremble by recovering one of the breaks. Now, the gladiator's roar echoed amid the cheers of a crowd chanting 'Yes, we can.' Rafa held his ground on the court with all the emotion running through his veins, making his opponent suffer while serving to win the match. It's almost impossible to convey in these lines what was experienced every time Rafa scored a point, pure poetry. However, a composed Van de Zandschulp made a move to end what could have been Rafa Nadal's last professional match. Spain and he will depend on Carlos Alcaraz, who will face Tallon Griekspoor in an attempt to even the tie. If this was the last dance... Thank you, Rafa!
This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Nadal cae con honores y deja su "adiós" en manos de Alcaraz