Nadal beaten by Van de Zandschulp, Spain trailed 1-0 by the Netherlands!

Despite the support of his fans, Rafael Nadal was unable to pull off the miracle he had hoped for. He lost to Botic Van de Zandschulp (6-4, 6-4) in the first match of the Davis Cup quarter-final between Spain and the Netherlands in Malaga.

Struggling on his return of serve and not aggressive enough with his shots, the Spaniard was unable to make things difficult enough for his opponent. The man with 14 French Open titles could therefore have played the last match of his career if his team-mates don't win the next two matches.

Carlos Alcaraz will now face Tallon Griekspoor in a bid to get the two teams back on level terms. If he succeeds, it will be a decisive double that will deliver the qualifying ticket for the semi-finals.