Rafael Nadal took the court Tuesday at the Davis Cup, his first match since getting knocked out by Novak Djokovic in the second round of the Paris Olympics in July.
It also ended up being the final match of his illustrious 23-year tennis career as Spain was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup. The 38-year-old announced last month that he would retire from tennis after the tournament.
Nadal lost to Botic van de Zandschulp, which snapped a 32-match winning streak for him at the Davis Cup. Spain stayed alive after Carlos Alcaraz defeated Tallon Griekspoor, but the Dutch duo of Wesley Koolhof and van de Zandschulp prevailed over Marcel Granollers and Alcaraz in the decisive doubles match to eliminate Nadal and the host nation.
Despite the loss, Nadal’s participation in the Davis Cup should mean he will clear $135 million in career earnings, assuming an equal split among the five members of Spain’s team. Each quarterfinal team will earn $535,714, which comes out to about $107,000 per member. Nadal had made $134.95 million entering the tournament.
An All-Timer
Nadal will go down as one of the most successful athletes in all sports. He was a member of the legendary Big Three in men’s tennis, which also included Djokovic and Roger Federer. The three are the only men with at least 20 Grand Slam titles.
The Spaniard also holds the record for the most wins in a single Grand Slam with 14 in the French Open, which garnered him the nickname “King of Clay.”
Nadal also became an impactful influence off the court. From his endorsements, appearances, and other business endeavors, he’s estimated to have earned more than $415 million, according to Forbes, which is nearly three times as much as he’s earned as a tennis player.
Nadal has held his most notable deals for more than a decade. He signed an apparel deal with Nike in 2000, Babolat for his rackets in 2001, partnered with Kia in 2004, and added Richard Mille in 2010. He’s become the face of Nike tennis—his famous raging bull logo was released in 2013—especially after Federer left the Swoosh in 2018 for Uniqlo and On.
Alcaraz, the 21-year-old Spanish star who cites Nadal as his tennis inspiration, has also signed deals with many of Nadal’s partners, including Nike, Babolat, and Louis Vuitton.
