"There were better ways to retire Rafael Nadal" - Fans slam Spain strategy as team crashes out of Davis Cup Finals to underdog Netherlands

Rafael Nadal's retirement ceremony at the Davis Cup Finals caused a lot of tears in Malaga. However, some fans felt an illustrious athlete of the Spaniard's level deserved a bigger ending. Nadal announced he would bid the sport adieu after the Davis Cup Finals in October through an emotional social media message. It broke the hearts of the tennis fraternity as no one wanted his time to arrive.

However, within the blink of an eye, it was time for Spain and the Netherlands' quarterfinal tie. The 38-year-old would end up playing the final professional match of his career against the dangerous Botic Van de Zandschulp. Though he took us back to the past on some occasions, the 22-time Major champion was dealt with by Zandschulp 4-6, 4-6.

Carlos Alcaraz's triumphant performance against Tallon Griekspoor 7-6(0), 6-3, took the match into the deciding doubles. Alcaraz teamed up with Marcel Granollers to take on Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof, another man ending his career at this event. Despite Alcaraz and Granollers' best efforts, the Dutch duo upped their game in the two tiebreakers to win 7-6(4), 7-6(3) and the tie 2-1.

The Spanish duo's defeat also marked the end of the road for Rafael Nadal. Following the tie, a special ceremony was held to celebrate the Spanish legend's illustrious career including a video montage of his contemporaries honoring him. He also delivered an emotional speech before waving the crowd goodbye for the final time in his professional career.

While most were heartbroken, some fans felt that the Spaniard should've received a better ending than the one he got. One questioned David Ferrer's strategy of keeping Roberto Bautista Agut out of the equation given his form. They also felt that the Nadalcaraz pairing, which took the Paris Olympics by storm, would've been better suited for the deciding doubles:

"I’m not sure Team Spain made the right choice today in the line-up. Personally would’ve put RBA for #2 singles. The guy was in great form throughout the indoor swing & was a more match tough bet. For doubles I really think Nadal/Alcaraz would’ve been better suited for this day."

Another fan opined of Roger Federer's retirement at the 2022 Laver Cup:

"Gotta say that Federer nailed the retirement thing at Laver Cup. This one felt underwhelming. It was perfectly done."

Here are some other reactions from the fans with many questioning the team selection.

"Not quite sure what the Spanish team was trying to achieve at this event. But I'm quite sure there were better ways to retire Rafael Nadal than this."

"Did anyone else feel like Rafael Nadal’s Davis Cup retirement was kinda anticlimactic? Blame it on the format making it awkward I guess. But Roger Federer’s felt like he got the dramatic farewell just right. Where’s Ellie Goulding when nobody asked for her?" a fan wrote.

"With the way this ended up going, i wish we’d just seen nadalcaraz," another said.

"Botic is speedrunning his way onto a Spain terrorist list," one joked.

Though many fans wished Nadal could have enjoyed a better goodbye than he received, he seemed content with bowing out at the Davis Cup Finals.

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"I don't have that ego" - Rafael Nadal explains why he didn't want to continue after the 2024 Davis Cup Finals

Rafael Nadal blows a kiss to the crowd (Source: Getty)

While speaking to the media in Malaga in a pre-tournament press conference, Rafael Nadal said the impediments he faced due to the injuries and surgeries rendered him far from his best level and took away the joy of competing.

"Not new injury. It's about the things that I went through, and, I mean, with the surgery last year, and I don't gonna add the rest of the things that I had, but a few ones, make me feel that I cannot be enough competitive, and I am not able to enjoy my daily basis the way that I need to be competitive at the highest level, no?

So at the end of the day, all relate to the question of myself is about, okay, I can hold for one more year, but why? To say goodbye in every single tournament, I don't have that ego to need that," Rafael Nadal said.

Nadal finally added that he felt it was time to hang up the racket since he couldn't produce the level of tennis he was capable of because his body wouldn't allow him to.