Davis Cup 2024 Finals: Nadal Breaks Down As Family, Fans Give Him Standing Ovation - Video

Nadal, 38, soaked up all the atmosphere inside the Martin Carpena arena in Malaga as a crowd of 10,000 along with his family and friends gave him a rapturous send-off.

Nadal struggled to keep his composure and broke down in tears numerous times during a touching final competition of his playing career.

The 14-time French Open champion, who was beaten on the indoor hard court in southern Spain, became a cheerleader for his heir apparent, Carlos Alcaraz, who evened the matchup against the Netherlands at one-all by getting past Tallon Griekspoor 7-6 (0), 6-3 in the other singles match.

But then van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof clinched the victory for the Dutch by defeating Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3) in the deciding doubles match.

As chants of 바카라�Rafa, Rafa" reverberated inside the arena, an emotional Rafael Nadal got emotional during Spain's national anthem.

바카라�I was having an emotional day, nerves before what could be my last singles match as a professional," said Nadal. 바카라�The emotions hearing the national anthem for the last time as a professional were very special."

The 38-year-old had made his Davis Cup debut in 2004. Prior to this match, Nadal had played in 29 of his 30 matches in this competition.

바카라�In the beginning I think we were both nervous바카라� the crowd was tough, understandably," said Van de Zandschulp. 바카라�That is what it is to play against Rafa in Spain 바카라� he is probably the biggest sportsman here in Spain that ever lived."

Some of Nadal's greatest rivals including Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray besides tennis legend Serena Williams and other greats left messages in a video montage that was played at the arena.

바카라�I leave the world of professional tennis having encountered many good friends along the way," said Nadal.