"It was sad... I missed Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic" - Duo's absence in Rafael Nadal's farewell at Davis Cup pinpointed by David Ferrer

The absence of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic at Rafael Nadal's farewell at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals elicited a sad reaction from Spanish team captain, David Ferrer. The former World No. 1 bid adieu to tennis after representing Spain in the quarterfinal tie against the Netherlands.

Nadal, who was playing in his final professional tournament, competed in the first match for Spain. He faced off against Netherlands' Botic van de Zandschulp in a singles match but was defeated 4-6, 4-6.

Spain were unable to secure their place in the semifinals as they lost the tie to the Dutch 2-1, with the lone victory secured by Carlos Alcaraz, who triumphed over Tallon Griekspoor in a singles match.

Following Spain's elimination, the Davis Cup organizers played a video message for Rafael Nadal in the stadium, where numerous tennis players like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, Andy Murray, and athletes from various sports gathered to pay tribute to the Spaniard.

Recently, David Ferrer spoke with El Partidazo de la Cope where he expressed his disappointment at the absence of players like Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the stands during Rafael Nadal's final match.

Ferrer mentioned that the farewell organized by the Davis Cup for the 38-year-old felt rushed and "a bit sad" after Spain's elimination.

“I didn't miss them cheering; if it had been more equal there would have been that pressure. The farewell was done with the best of intentions, it was after losing and in a hurry... It was a bit sad," Ferrer said [as quoted by Eurosport, translated from Spanish].

David Ferrer also noted the absence of former Spanish basketball player Pau Gasol in the stands along with Federer and Djokovic, as all of them are "close friends" of the 22-time Grand Slam champion.

“I missed [Roger] Federer, [Novak] Djokovic, Gasol, who is a close friend of his... I think other people should have spoken, and look, I am close to Rafa. Rafa's greatness is not going to change with a better or worse tribute," he added.

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“The farewell of someone as important as Rafael Nadal was watered down" - David Ferrer

Davis Cup Final 2024 [Source: Getty]

In the aforementioned interview, David Ferrer expressed that Rafael Nadal's farewell felt "watered down" due to the absence of some key figures from the Spaniard's tennis career.

“The farewell of someone as important as Rafa was watered down. Perhaps there were missing very important people in his tennis career and people who have been so important at the level of his rivals and his team," Ferrer said.

Ferrer acknowledged that someone of Nadal's caliber would receive much better farewell from the bigger tournaments around the world but he felt sad that the 22-time Grand Slam champion's farewell after his last match did not meet expectations.

“I missed a bit of those people who had that prominence. Things are as they are and you have to accept them. Rafa will have a lot of time where he will be honoured in big tournaments and he will have the farewell he deserves. It was his last match, we will not see him on a court again and I missed that," he added.

Despite losing this year's quarterfinal at the Davis Cup Finals, Rafael Nadal has been a part of the winning team four times in his career -- in 2004, 2009, 2011 and 2019.