MALAGA, Spain -- Rafael Nadal bit his lower lip and his reddened eyes welled with tears as he stood alongside his Davis Cup teammates for Spain's national anthem Tuesday before what he -- and everyone -- knew might be the last match of his career.
Hours after Nadal's 6-4, 6-4 loss to Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands, the evening did turn out to represent the 22-time Grand Slam champion's farewell to professional tennis, because the Dutch eliminated the Spaniards in the quarterfinals.
The 38-year-old Nadal said beforehand that his feelings would need to be put on hold, that this week was about attempting to claim one last title for his country, not about pondering his impending retirement, which he announced last month would come after this event.