Rafael Nadal sent a brief, heartfelt reply to Novak Djokovic after his long-time rival missed his emotional farewell at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga on Friday

Spain’s Davis Cup captain, David Ferrer, has described Rafael Nadal’s farewell ceremony after his final match as “a bit sad” and “watered down.” In a candid interview, Ferrer highlighted the absence of “very important people” who had played key roles in Nadal’s illustrious career,

The 37-year-old from Belgrade will be one of the favorites at the next Australian Open, for which he will prepare with great dedication by also playing a tournament in the first week of January. Nole's focus will be totally directed towards the Grand Slam tournaments and the Davis Cup, to try to replicate the historic triumph obtained in 2011.

Rafael Nadal sent a brief, heartfelt reply to Novak Djokovic after his long-time rival missed his farewell at the Davis Cup Finals. When Nadal initially announced his retirement plans last month, the 24-time Grand Slam champion vowed to be in Malaga for his final match.

Rafael Nadal has announced his retirement from professional tennis, with the Spaniard's great rival Novak Djokovic having previously opened up on their relationship

Rafael Nadal's retirement from professional tennis has brought an outpouring of tributes from plenty of current or former players.

Rafael Nadal has issued an eight-word reply to the classy tribute he received from his great rival Novak Djokovic following his retirement. The legendary Spaniard was beaten by Botic van de Zandschulp in the final match of his remarkable career at the Davis Cup Final 8 stage this week.

The who's who of the tennis world was expected to attend Rafael Nadal's Davis Cup farewell in Malaga, but they were nowhere to be seen when the tennis great played his final match.