MÁLAGA, Spain -- said he would only let his emotions break through at the end. That was before he heard the first few bars of "Marcha Real" as he stood alongside his Spanish teammates on the court at the Martin Carpena Arena. Once those notes rang out, his thousand-mile stare, fixed on the upper tiers of the packed stands, was unwavering, but his eyes welled with tears.
The Nadal retirement narrative was inescapable around this Davis Cup, despite his best efforts to make it about the team, and not his own farewell. "I'm not here to retire; I'm here to help the team win," he said Monday. But outside, there was a vast banner running around the nearby athletics stadium reading, "Gracias Rafa.
" The ticket prices had soared for this quarterfinal against the Netherlands -- everyone who has watched Nadal since his breakthrough over two decades ago wanted to catch one last glimpse of the man who is arguably Spain's greatest athlete ever. to Nadal, the man he calls his "old friend." Ever since Nadal this was going to be his final act in tennis, it was always going to be about him, whether he liked it or not.
to . There were reminders of the old Nadal, the one who , ruled Roland Garros and established himself as one of the all-time greats. There were the fist pumps and shouts of " " after key points.
Even in the final notes of his career, only he could conduct a crowd quite like he does. But then there was the reality of Nadal at 38 years old. The one who said his body could no longe.
