Nadal, who had been watching from the bench with the rest of the Spanish team, hopped on to court to console Alcaraz and Granollers.

Both looked despondent as they sat with their heads bowed, listening to the victorious Dutch players celebrating reaching the semi-finals.

While the crowd waited for Koolhof and Van de Zandschulp to conclude a post-match television interview, they chanted ‘Rafa, Rafa, Rafa’ for one final time.

The vast number of fans who remained in the 11,500-capacity Palacio de Deportes Arena then watched an on-court presentation for Nadal, starting with a powerful audio clip that documented his rise.

When the time came for Nadal to take centre stage, he was given another standing ovation and a round of applause lasting over a minute.

Nadal’s family, including his wife Mery, young son Rafael junior, parents Ana Maria and Sebastian and sister Maribel, were present in the stands.

Long-time members of his backroom team wore T-shirts depicting the logo of the ‘Raging Bull’ which became his moniker, inspired by his indomitable fighting spirit.