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

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.

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

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have been fierce rivals on the tennis court throughout their careers - but the Serbian has explained why the pair could never be friends.

Roger Federer's former coach Paul Annacone claimed that sports has never had a greater competitor than the retired Rafael Nadal.

Rafael Nadal officially played his last tennis match on Tuesday at the Davis Cup, and it was an emotional goodbye for the sports world. His legendary 23-year career included 22 Grand Slam wins, 92 ATP Tour titles,

Toni Nadal has hit out at Novak Djokovic yet again, claiming the Serbian has not earned the same level of respect in tennis as his nephew Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer

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

Rafael Nadal’s coach has described the Spaniard’s farewell ceremony at the Davis Cup as ‘scruffy and shabby’. Nadal played the final match of his career on Tuesday night as he lost in straight sets to Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp in the Davis Cup quarter final in Malaga.