After spending 23 years in the circuit, and claiming 22 Grand Slams, Rafael Nadal has finally drawn the curtains over his illustrious career. However, his farewell event failed to impress many tennis enthusiasts. Fans pointed out lackluster preparations by the organizers at the Davis Cup, which Nadal chose as his last tournament. Even Nadal’s coach Carlos Moya criticized the Davis Cup for their ‘clumsy’ and ‘shabby’ farewell!

In an interview with Onda Cero, published by Puntodebreak.com on November 22, Carlos Moya gave an honest review of Nadal’s farewell. He was deeply disappointed by the arrangements made for Nadal’s retirement, which he experienced firsthand. He said, “The feeling we all have left is that the farewell was clumsy and shabby.”

And despite months in advance, the farewell failed to pack a punch. It was a working day for fans and to make matters worse, Spain lost on the very first day, putting a full stop to Nadal’s professional tennis journey. “It is true that it was a Tuesday night, but they were months in advance and it was known that if Spain lost, Rafa would retire. Nadal is very little on top of all this,”– Moya further remarked. Moreover, Moya isn’t the only one from Camp Rafa who felt they could have done more to make the day special. Rafael Nadal’s uncle and his first coach also felt that something was lacking.

A few hours after Nadal’s last match in the professional circuit, Uncle Toni dropped scathing criticism on organizers’ efforts to make the day special. He said, “It was moving, of course, with the support of the public, but it would have had another dimension with images.” Rightly so, in the era of technology and AI, a new and dynamic dimension could have been added to showcase his legacy.

Moreover, a former Australian tennis pro also echoed Uncle Toni and Carlos Moya, as he questioned the preparations for the last match of Rafael Nadal.

Former pro raises questions as Rafael Nadal hangs his racquet

The Aussie legend Paul McNamee was puzzled by the fact that Nadal’s last match was played on a hard court rather than clay. Who would have thought that the King of Clay would end his career with a match on the hard court? But it happened. It might not have been easy for the Netherlands to beat Spain when it comes to clay. Even Nadal would have been a tough opponent on the red dirt. But the match was on hard court.

McNamee posted his discontent on X, as he wrote, “Can anyone explain to me why the finals @DavisCup, hosted & funded by Spain, were played on hard court? Goodness me, Nadal would not have lost that match on clay… the surface became the ultimate party pooper.”

Well, it’s all in the past. The day is over, and Rafael Nadal has closed his career with a loss at the Davis Cup. Hopefully, we will be able to see the tennis legend in a new avatar sooner than later! Fans will hope he remains associated with the sport.