"Goodness me, Rafael Nadal would not have lost that match"- Davis Cup debacle that saw Spaniard retire prematurely draws reaction from Paul McNamee
Paul McNamee expressed his frustration over Rafael Nadal playing his last match on a hard court at the Davis Cup. The Spanish icon played his last professional match against Botic van de Zandschulp in the quarterfinal tie between Spain and the Netherlands at the 2024 Davis Cup.
In his last professional match, Nadal lost to Van de Zadschulp in straight sets. As a result, Spain too lost 1-2 against Netherlands. The Spaniard was visibly far from his best while playing on an indoor hard court.
Carlos Alcaraz brought Spain back into the tie with a win over Tallon Griekspoor. However, Spain was knocked out as the pair of Carlos Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers lost to Wesley Koolhof and Botic van de Zandschulp in the deciding doubles match.
This ended Nadal's career in an anti-climatic fashion, as Spain was expected to make it to the next round with the retirement ceremony planned for later in the week.
Criticism from fans was also visible, as there was widespread questioning of the inclusion of Nadal in singles. The common consensus was doubles with Carlos Alcaraz would have been an ideal fit for the 22-time Major champion.
Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic were the notable misses from Nadal's last match. The Serb was expected to bid farewell to his great rival but was reportedly planning to make a trip on Friday when the ceremony was originally planned.
While speaking about Nadal's match, McNamee pointed out that the Davis Cup finals were taking place in Spain, and the logical choice of surface should have been clay. The former Australian player proclaimed that playing on clay, Nadal's best surface would have given him a better chance against Van de Zandschulp and a premature exit would have been avoided.
The former World No. 1 was also of the opinion that Nadal would have won the match, should it have taken place on the red dirt.
"Can anyone explain to me why the finals @DavisCup, hosted & funded by Spain, were played on hardcourt? Goodness me, Nadal would not have lost that match on clay… the surface became the ultimate party pooper," posted McNamee.
However, McNamee's proposals would have been difficult to implement since Davis Cup finals have been held on hard courts in the last few years. Also, Nadal announced his retirement decision in October giving little time for organizers to alter the venue.
Indoor hard courts were the Achilles heel for Rafael Nadal
If there was any surface, where Rafael Nadal had a bit of weakness in his career, it was indoor hard courts. He did reach six finals on the surface, winning only one title, which came at the 2005 Madrid Masters.
Due to his shortcomings on the surface, Nadal could not win two marquee trophies in his career. One was the Paris Masters, played on indoor hard courts, where he reached the final in 2009, losing to David Nalbandian.
Another key miss from Nadal's trophy cabinet was the year-ending ATP Finals, which the Spaniard could never win in his career. He reached the finals twice, in 2010 and 2013, losing to two of his arch-rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic respectively.
Overall, Rafael Nadal finished with a 68 percent win/loss record on indoor hard courts which is quite low considering his performances on other surfaces. Although in Davis Cup ties, he had a 14-0 record in singles while playing on indoor hard courts. The loss to Botic van de Zandschulp was only his second in Davis Cup singles.