Although his career ended at the Davis Cup Finals last week, the tributes to Rafael Nadal continue. The former world number 1 retired at the age of 38, having understood that it would make no sense to continue playing without having the chance to win the most important titles.

According to El Espanol, this was because the retirement ceremony was expected to take place on Friday - on the assumption Spain would win their quarter-final. This has attracted

Davis Cup Finals tournament director Feliciano Lopez and International Tennis Federation president David Haggerty have defended Rafael Nadal’s retirement ceremony. Former world No 1 and 22-time Grand Slam winner Nadal played the final match of his career at the Finals in Malaga this week.