Rafael Nadal’s coach has described the Spaniard’s farewell ceremony at the Davis Cup as ‘scruffy and shabby’.
Nadal played the final match of his career on Tuesday night as he lost in straight sets to Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp in the Davis Cup quarter final in Malaga.
A small ceremony was held on court after Nadal’s defeat, with messages from Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Serena Williams played in a video before the 38-year-old gave a speech to the crowd.
Tournament director, Feliciano Lopez, later admitted that plans for the ceremony were rushed, despite Nadal announcing his plans to retire at the Davis Cup last month.
‘I was a bit sad about everything, it didn’t go well at all,’ Lopez said.
‘Spain lost, Rafa couldn’t compete the way he liked. They ended up losing and the atmosphere in general was a bit sad. Everything went wrong.
‘We would have liked to have a lot more people in the video, athletes who are friends of Rafa, but those videos arrived too late to be edited. It was all a bit of a race against time.’
Now Nadal’s long-time coach, Carlos Moya, has also criticised the send-off the 22-time Grand Slam winner received this week.
‘The feeling we are all left with is it was a bit scruffy and shabby,’ Moya told Onda Cero.
‘It’s true that it’s a Tuesday night but this is sport and we knew months in advance that if Spain lost, Rafa would retire. Nadal is far above all this.
‘In what remains for me in tennis, it will be impossible for me to relive what I have experienced with him.’
Spain captain David Ferrer said this week: ‘Losing makes you feel sad.
‘Rafa Nadal will return to the big tournaments next year and will have more tributes where he can be recognised.’
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