Rafael Nadal suffered defeat to Botic van de Zandschulp in the Davis Cup Finals in what may have been the last match of the Spaniard’s career.
Van de Zandschulp eased to a 6-4 6-4 win to put Netherlands 1-0 ahead in their quarter-final tie against Spain.
Nadal, 38, is retiring from professional tennis after the team event in Malaga, and he will not get to play again if Spain lose the second singles rubber later.
Carlos Alcaraz will face Tallon Griekspoor in the other singles, and if the Wimbledon champion can level up the best-of-three series, Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers will take on Van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof, who is also retiring from the sport at the end of the event, in the deciding doubles rubber.
Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, including 14 French Open titles, put up a good fight against the big-serving Dutchman in the first set but had his serve broken late.
He was broken again at the start of the next, and was never able to fully get back into the match on the indoor hard court at the sold-out Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena in southern Spain.
Van de Zandschulp said: “The crowd was tough. Understandable. That’s what it is to play in Spain against Rafa. He’s the biggest sportsman here that ever lived. It’s a really special event.
“It’s tough to close a match against him. Knowing it could be his last… I just went for it and it helped at the end.”
The winner of the tie will face either Germany or Canada in the semi-finals on Friday.
Nadal helped Spain win the Davis Cup in 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2019.
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