Rafa Nadal honoured in Madrid after setback as family in tears after sad admission

Rafa Nadal has been given what appears to be a final send-off from the Madrid Open after a tough loss in the round of 16 as his sister and wife Maria Francisca Perello were in tears watching the tennis legend farewell the crowd. Nadal faced one of his toughest tasks yet upon his tennis return in 30th seed Jiri Lehecka at the Madrid Open

And Lehecka proved too strong for the 37-year-old Spaniard having won in a close-fought battle 7-5, 6-4 in straight sets. Lehecka allowed the Spaniard spend time on court after his loss with Nadal granted a farewell from the organisers having won the tournament five times.

The Madrid Open took Nadal's loss as potentially the last time he will appear in the Spanish capital as a player even though Nadal has not confirmed his retirement from the sport. Many fans believe this is Nadal's final year in tennis and are celebrating each match as if it could be his last. "I'm happy," Nadal said after the loss.

"It was a very special week for me, very positive and very emotional. I had the opportunity to play one more time here on this court. All I can say is thank you to everyone that has helped me in my career. It hasn't finished yet."

Rafa Nadal in sad admission after Madrid ceremony

And Nadal was honoured with a banner for his achievements on the clay in Madrid as fans cheered on the Spaniard knowing he might not return. A tribute video played for the 22-time grand slam champion and he couldn't help but make a sad and cheeky admission. "This is a joke...next year I'm coming back," Nadal said as the fans laughed.

Nadal added: "It has been a gift what you've given me here. The emotion that I get from this experience in Madrid, from the Spanish public... I was lucky as a kid to do the job that I love. I feel super fortunate to have lived the life that I've lived. I couldn't ask for anything more."

Despite Nadal's upbeat spirit, those in his player's box were in tears. His sister and wife were wiping away tears as fans cheered knowing it would be the final farewell for Nadal in Madrid.

Nadal will now compete at the Italian Open, before moving on to what could be his final tournament ever at Roland Garros. The Spaniard has won Roland Garros a record 14 times. Nadal has admitted he would like to play at the Olympics in Paris, which could be his last tournament.

However, many feel Roland Garros would be the perfect place for his to call time on his career. Despite the speculation, Nadal has been named in Team Europe for the Rod Laver Cup later this year. Nadal appears keen to play on after the clay court campaign, but only he knows.