The ITF president defended the comparatively low-key ceremony, which was dubbed “tacky” by coach Carlos Moya and “weak” by Spain’s Davis Cup captain David Ferrer.
The head of the International Tennis Federation justified Rafael Nadal’s rather low-key retirement ceremony at the Davis Cup on Sunday, claiming that it was determined by the 22-time Grand Slam champion.
“Rafa is an incredible player who will leave a tennis legacy that will inspire millions of players all over the world to participate and continue to play. We felt it was critical to listen to Rafa and how he wanted to be acknowledged. That’s precisely what we did,” ITF President David Haggerty said during a concluding press conference in southern Spain, where the Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup were held.
“We followed his lead and delivered on it,” Haggerty added. “People can have whatever opinions they want of whether it was right or not, but to me, the most important thing was we delivered a ceremony that was what Rafa wanted—and, being who he is, was a great evening, and it was much appreciated.”
Feliciano López, the Davis Cup Finals tournament director and former player, avoided a question about how Nadal was feted after his side, Spain, was ousted by the Netherlands in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
Nadal watches a video tribute with recorded messages from Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Serena Williams and more. None were on hand for the event.
“We should focus, all of us, on the fact that Rafa chose Davis Cup to be the final tournament of his career instead of keep talking about his farewell ceremony,” López told the crowd. “Honestly, we did our best.”
A video tribute was presented, featuring highlight movies from Nadal’s career as well as recorded tributes from current and former players like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, and Serena Williams.
Neither of these contemporaries attended the event.
In an interview with the Spanish press, Nadal’s coach, former world number one Carlos Moya, called the ceremony as “tacky,” while Spain’s Davis Cup captain, David Ferrer, blasted it as “weak.”
