In his last tournament as a professional, Spaniard Rafael Nadal opened the quarters of the Davis Cup with a 6-4 and 6-4 defeat against Dutchman Botic Van de Zandschulp, this Tuesday in a Martin Carpena pavilion in Malaga overturned with the local idol, who probably played his last match.
Nadal, who had only lost in singles in his first Davis Cup match, in 2004 when he was 17 against Jiri Novak, gave in more than two decades later, after 29 victories and five salads in his palmares.
Also Read: Paraguay Beat Argentina for Their Third Straight Win
This probably was my last game, I lost the first and last. The decision is not up to me, but if I were the captain I would put another player. Perhaps the easy decision is to change me for Roberto (Bautista), the Majorcan pointed out harshly at a press conference.
Carlos Alcaraz then beat Tallon Griekspoor, 7-6 (7/0) and 6-3 in an hour and 25 minutes, so the doubles will decide the elimination.
The world number three will jump back onto the track, along with Marcel Granollers, to measure Van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof.
The excitement had skyrocketed at Martin Carpena Sports Palace since the Spanish team stepped on the track.
The anthem, with Nadal’s tears, spread to much of the nearly 10,000 spectators, and the minute of silence for the victims of the floods that caused more than 200 deaths mainly in the Valencian Community completed the solemn ceremony.
The previous moments were exciting but difficult to manage. I’ve tried to do it the best possible way, control, but sometimes it’s difficult, Nadal acknowledged.
After a previous one marked by the role he would have in the elimination in the last tournament of his career, David Ferrer had finally chosen the myth of the 22 Grand Slam tournaments to open the fire of the competition.
With the ball on the line, Nadal came out aggressive, mixing notable blows with mistakes that showed his lack of shooting – he hasn’t competed since the Paris Games.
In front of Van de Zandschulp, the 80th world player, had started nervously, disoriented by the significance of the duel, and failed to fail up to six consecutive pitches with his first game on serve.
At another point, Nadal wouldn’t have missed a tremendous gift. But his current version led him to forgive and he no longer had a similar occasion in the entire first sleeve, in which he did not count any break ball.
The Dutchman was ordering his ideas and despite his irregularity in service, alternating big firsts and loose seconds, he was able to turn the first turn to the game by breaking Nadal’s plunder to be 5-4. He then closed the partial in 44 minutes.
Nadal, also stuck with nerves, conceded a break at the start of the second sleeve. Van de Zandschulp was 2-0 and the audience of Martin Carpena was starting to sing the Yes you can. Yes, you can lift the idol.
It was his turn to go back to Nadal, as he had done so many times in his epic race, but the Spaniard had a hard time closing the points in front of a rival who was croaking and increasingly solid in the exchanges.
With his second break, Van de Zandschulp defended a 4-1. Nadal finally got “fabricar.” break balls.
The third broke the Dutchman’s service and tried to take the duel to the emotional ground. But the Dutchman did not shake and closed the game in an hour and 53 minutes.
At first, I think we were both nervous with the whole crowd. “That’s what it means to play against Rafael Nadal in Spain, he’s probably the biggest athlete the country has had,” Van de Zandschulp said.
The winner of the elimination will face the winner of the duel between Germany and Canada.
