WATCH: Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams & more come together to honor Rafael Nadal in emotional tribute during his Davis Cup farewell

Several athletes, including Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Serena Williams, came together to pay tribute to Rafael Nadal during an emotional farewell at the Davis Cup. The Spaniard played his final match in the quarterfinal tie between Spain and the Netherlands at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals.

In October 2024, Nadal announced his plans to retire from tennis in an emotional video message after representing Spain at the Davis Cup Finals. During a singles match, the former World No.1 was defeated by Dutchman, Botic van de Zandschulp with a score of 4-6, 4-6.

Spain's hopes of advancing to the semifinals were shattered when they lost to the Netherlands 2-1, with the only victory coming from Carlos Alcaraz, who defeated Tallon Griekspoor 7-6(0), 6-3.

Following Spain's loss which subsequently meant Rafael Nadal's retirement, the official Davis Cup social media account shared a video featuring athletes from various sports honoring the Spanish tennis legend.

Tennis greats like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, Andy Murray, Juan Martin del Potro, and even football icon David Beckham, among others, shared their farewell messages for the 38-year-old.

Serena Williams credited Rafael Nadal with inspiring her to succeed, persevere, and continuously improve throughout her career.

“Gosh! You just have meant so much. In my career you’ve inspired me to have so many wins, to keep going, to fight, to get better, to improve, to basically play like you. My goodness you will be missed,” Serena Williams said.

Meanwhile, Andy Murray stated that he will remember the 22-time Grand Slam champion for his "passion" and "intensity" on the court

“The passion and intensity that you played with was something that I think all tennis players aspire to and all the tennis fans will remember you for. It’s been incredible watching you . Thanks for everything Rafa, enjoy retirement mate,” Andy Murray said.

Novak Djokovic praised Rafael Nadal for his "tenacity," "fighting spirit," "energy," and the "power" he had throughout his illustrious career.

“Your tenacity, your fighting spirit, the energy that you brought, the power is something that will be studied and is something that will be transferred to many many generations that are coming up,” Novak Djokovic said.

“I’ve been very honoured and thrilled to be called your rival. The tennis world and the sports world will miss the incredible energy that you brought on the court. There is so much to embrace, so much to celebrate . Thank you very much and good luck my friend,” he added

On the other hand, Roger Federer congratulated Nadal on having one of the "most incredible career."

“Congratulations on the most incredible career . It was such a privilege to play with you but especially against you. Some of my favourite memories with you Rafa of course was the 2008 Wimbledon finals where you got me,” Roger Federer said.

“I wish you all the best for what’s to come with your wonderful family. Congratulations on the most incredible career . Enjoy the moment. Take care, Rafa,” he added .

Rafael Nadal on playing his final match at Davis Cup Finals 2024: “The moments leading up to it were emotional”

Rafael Nadal at the 2024 Davis Cup Final [Source: Getty]

During a press conference following Spain's defeat to the Netherlands in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Davis Cup Finals, Rafael Nadal expressed that the moments leading up to his retirement were very "emotional."

“The moments leading up to it were emotional, kind of difficult to handle, in general. So many emotions,” he said [via ATPTour.com].

The Spaniard revealed that in the buildup to the quarterfinal match between Spain and the Netherlands, he had strived to maintain a positive attitude and the necessary energy to secure a victory, but it was not meant to be.

“I tried to have the best attitude possible, with the necessary energy, whatever the result. There was a glimmer of hope at the end, but it wasn’t to be. My opponent was better than me today and that’s that,” he added.

Despite the disappointment of this year's quarterfinal loss, Spain has an impressive record of winning the Davis Cup six times, with Rafael Nadal being part of the winning team, four times in his career. He was part of the team in 2004, 2009, 2011, and 2019 when Spain claimed the title.