Rafael Nadal has drawn the curtains on his illustrious career, at the Davis Cup, in front of the home crowd. Nadal even saw a silver lining in the defeat he experienced during the last match of his career, as he closed his career. When the Spaniard made his debut during the Davis Cup 2004, he lost his very first match. And now, twenty years later, he lost the last one. However, not everyone is happy with the send-off given to Nadal by the Davis Cup organizers. After his uncle, Toni Nadal, and coach Carlos Moya’s criticism, tennis fans have taken divergent views when it comes to demanding another send-off for the King of Clay.

Everyone anticipated that Nadal’s retirement would be similar to that of Roger Federer. However, the reality of the situation came as a huge shock for many fans, tennis enthusiasts, his team, and even his family. Nadal’s first coach, his uncle Toni, also expressed his displeasure with his nephew’s farewell. And said that more could have been done to make the send-off better, after spending 23 years in the circuit.

He said, “It was moving, of course, with the support of the public, but it would have had another dimension with images. I like to see images in these events, I would have liked to see images of Rafael winning the Davis Cup in Seville, of Rafael at the Madrid tournament, at Roland Garros or Wimbledon, because this creates more emotion. Rafael is a person whose images convey passion and emotion. If they had done this, it would have been more fitting.”

A dissatisfied fan on X, with the username @nycsandygirl, thought to start a petition for another farewell for Nadal. They wrote, “Petition for a better ceremony for Rafa. I thought we should start one, but guess what? It already exists!”

This post resulted in fans coming together and supporting the idea. However, there were some who responded negatively as well to the question of another send-off.

Rafael Nadal fans have different views amidst demand for another send-off ceremony

Rafael Nadal’s coach Carlos Moya didn’t blame anyone for the lackluster arrangements at Nadal’s farewell, but he was not satisfied with the overall arrangements. Moya said, “It’s not the time to blame anyone, but the feeling is that we have witnessed something messy. It’s true that we’re talking about a Tuesday night, but we knew for months that if Spain had lost, Nadal would have retired that day. Rafa is far above all this.” Moya’s sentiments were echoed in a fan’s post, as they wrote, “What the tennis world has done to Nadal in his farewell is unforgivable.” 

Another fan was sure “Nadal definitely deserved a much better send-off!” When things are compared to Roger Federer’s farewell, Nadal’s farewell, seemed a bit lackluster. This all comes in the backdrop of the fact that Nadal had announced his last tournament weeks before the Davis Cup. And fans are holding the organizers accountable for things not being up to mark.

However, not every Rafa fan wants another farewell for Nadal. Once is enough. As this user said, “As a Rafa Fan… I don’t want this…. this will hurt me more… enough.” When Rafael Nadal exited the court for the last time, many fans in the stands were in tears. The chants of his name echoed in the court. Above all, Nadal’s humility will never allow him to re-do things that are only done once. He can’t retire once again after hanging up his racquet, as this fan rightly said, “Nadal humility will not allow him to do that.”

Most of the fans already anticipated that this season would have been Nadal’s last one due to various reasons. Firstly, Nadal was on a hiatus for a long, getting his treatment done. Secondly, his performance throughout the season was another signal that the end was near for the legend. Hence, he was questioned multiple times about his retirement plans and events at the Paris Olympics.

Hence, fans were ready to bid him adieu in their own way when he traveled to their city. In one instance, in Paris, fans came in huge waves forming a sea of people for Nadal. One fan highlighted this incident as he weighed in on the fact that fans have paid their tribute to the Spanish maestro on different occasions. The fan wrote, “Not really a fan of how Davis Cup organized the event with layers of uncertainty, but the spontaneous unplanned and organic farewells he got throughout the year are unparalleled. Nothing can match the spontaneous love of people for their king!!! 🐐. ”

Rafael Nadal is a great of the sport, with 22 Grand Slam titles, 2 Olympics gold, and a heart of warrior. Whether there is another event to honor Nadal or not, everyone has just one thing to say: Gracias Rafa!