The glorious career of the “King of Clay,” Rafael Nadal, came to an end with an upset defeat from the Netherlands at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner played his farewell match with Team Spain on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, and lost 6-4, 6-4 to Botic van de Zandschulp in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
His teammate and four-time Grand Slam winner, Carlos Alcaraz, who has always shown huge respect for the tennis legend, paid a heartfelt tribute to Nadal in an emotional Instagram post.
The 21-year-old wrote, “There will be many more Davis, Rafa; there is only one. Thanks to you, I have become a professional tennis player. It's been a blessing to be able to live your career as a child you idolized and then as a teammate more! The best ambassador possible who leaves an everlasting legacy.”
The 2024 French Open winner, who got the privilege to become Rafa’s partner in the Paris Olympics doubles earlier, expressed a desire to win the Davis Cup Finals trophy for Nadal but could not succeed in doing so.
To note, Alcaraz delivered a strong performance, defeating Tallon Griekspoor 7-6(0), 6-3 to level the tie and keep his national team's hopes in the tournament alive, but the narrow loss in doubles ended Spain's Davis Cup campaign.
