Rafael Nadal at peace with career ending with a loss at Davis Cup

Not every athlete gets to go out with a blaze of glory. Rafael Nadal, 38, is now on that list of all-time greats who suffered defeat on the way out.

The 22-time major winner bowed out of the sport with a 6-4, 6-4 loss to the Netherlands' Botic van de Zandschulp in the opening singles tie of the Davis Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday. While Carlos Alcaraz kept Spain alive with a win over Tallon Griekspoor, the Dutch ultimately advanced when Van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof prevailed in the final doubles encounter of the evening.

As a result, Spain crashed out of the Davis Cup, bringing an end to Nadal's storied career. Incidentally, Nadal's Davis Cup career began with a singles loss to Czechia's Jiri Novak in 2004. After his loss on Tuesday, Nadal acknowledged that his career had come full circle. 

"It's in some ways good, maybe, if that was my last match," Nadal said after his loss when Spain was still alive in the Davis Cup. "I lost my first match in the Davis Cup, and I lost my last one. So we close the circle [laughs]."

In the lead-up to the match, the Spaniard downplayed the desire for an "ideal ending," telling reporters that fairy-tale endings usually happen only in Hollywood films, not real life. 

"My farewell is going to be what it is going to be," Nadal had said.

Nadal's pragmatic approach to his ending is laudable. The "King of Clay" knew his body had given up on him, and his game had deteriorated rapidly over the past 12 months. However, his fans and peers alike went above and beyond to remind him of the warrior he was during his heyday with an outpouring of messages on Tuesday. Even Nike did its part by lighting up the Nadal logo next to the Eiffel Tower — fittingly, since he won 14 French Open titles.

And, of course, Nadal's greatest rivals — Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray — were featured in a tribute video where they detailed how the Spaniard set the bar and forced others to raise their game.