Rafael Nadal in professional tennis, 80th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp, converted his 10th match point Friday to finally close out a 6-4, 6-7 (12), 6-3 victory over Daniel Altmaier and help the Netherlands reach its first Davis Cup final by sweeping Germany.

Rafael Nadal’s remarkable 23-year career came to an end after Spain was eliminated by the Netherlands in the Davis Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday.

Rafael Nadal’s relatively low-key retirement ceremony at the Davis Cup has been defended by the head of the International Tennis Federation as being dictated by the 22-time Grand Slam champion’s wishe