Who beat Rafael Nadal in his final professional match at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals?

Botic van de Zandschulp beat Rafael Nadal in Nadal’s final professional match at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals.

The match took place on 19 November 2024 at the Martín Carpena Arena in Málaga, Spain, during Spain’s quarterfinal tie against the Netherlands. Van de Zandschulp won 6–4, 6–4 in the opening singles rubber. Nadal had not played competitively since the 2024 Paris Olympics and was 38 years old.

The result did not immediately end the tie: Carlos Alcaraz defeated Tallon Griekspoor in the second singles match, but the Dutch team won the deciding doubles rubber. Van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof defeated Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers, sending the Netherlands through and ending Nadal’s professional career.

A common mix-up is to name Griekspoor, because he played—and won—the second singles match in the tie’s later stages. Van de Zandschulp was the opponent in Nadal’s final match itself.