Rafael Nadal is bidding farewell to tennis as a true legend of the sport at the Davis Cup Finals on his home courts in Malaga. For fellow great of the game Justine Henin, it is incredibly powerful that “Rafa is choosing his moment” by opting to end his career on his own terms and by representing his country on a big stage. The 38-year-old is partnered by Carlos Alcaraz as Spain bid for glory.

The Davis Cup Finals is a “very, very beautiful” way for Rafael Nadal to say goodbye to tennis by representing his country, according to Justine Henin.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion, who will retire from tennis after attempting to achieve glory for Spain at the men’s team event, has been debating when to retire for the last couple of years.

His great rival, Roger Federer, opted to bow out at the Laver Cup in 2022 surrounded by his team-mates. In strikingly similar scenes, Nadal strode out with his fellow Team Spain members in Malaga amid deafening roars from the home fans.

Tennis legend Henin said that it is fitting the 38-year-old is able to choose his own special moment to retire without it being dictated by injury or a sudden loss of ability.

“Being able to choose the moment, I think it’s still something that must be very beautiful,” Henin told Eurosport’s Arnold Montgault. “We don’t all experience it in the same way.

“For me, when it comes to retirement – and I obviously don’t have Nadal’s career – every situation is different. An injury chose [retirement] for me.

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“Roger, he chose his moment, and it was a truly incredible moment of beauty. Today, Rafa is choosing his moment… at the Davis Cup.

“If we can try to imagine what we’re all going to feel at that moment: I think it’s going to be something very, very beautiful.”

She added: “In the end, we’re commenting on it, trying to understand it, but it’s up to him. I think the fact that it’s happening in Spain is something fundamental, something important for him.

“We know how proud he was. Deep down, he must be proud to have carried Spanish tennis, Spanish sport in general, because you can sense that Nadal also has a sense of clan, of roots, and therefore of the team, of the people around him with whom he has experienced very intense things.

“It’s clear that this notion of clan has played a fundamental role in his career. Fighting for all these people who love him, who appreciate him and his roots, a sense of pride.”

Henin also believes it is a special moment for Nadal to bow out alongside Carlos Alcaraz as he effectively passes the torch of Spanish men’s tennis over to the 21-year-old.

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“Nadal is a legend. Alcaraz has already written some great pages in Spanish and world tennis. At the same time, their playing styles are so different, so there’s something very beautiful there too.

“There’s a heritage, that’s for sure, and at the same time, you can see that their trajectories are going to be different – and that’s the beauty of it too. Of course, there’s Nadal in Alcaraz.

“There’s certainly a sense of fulfilment in Nadal, too, when he says to himself: I’ve really carried this Spanish tennis, and today, I pass the baton. In the Davis Cup, it’s just beautiful.

“It’s just incredible to see these two trajectories, side by side and with immense desire, pleasure and respect. It is a magnificent image.”