Rafael Nadal “proved us all wrong” with his longevity and versatility, according to Eurosport’s Barbara Schett, after the Spaniard announced he was calling time on his glittering career.

“I didn’t shed any tears yesterday when I found out, but I was sad. I felt it,” said Schett.

“In Austria, you have this saying, you have this big doubling in your stomach when you feel unwell. And that’s what I felt, that pressure that this is it. I’m never going to see his matches any more. I’m never going to see him compete the way he’s been competing.

“Those 20 years which he was on the tour are unforgettable, and he’s proved us all wrong, I think.

“Most people would have said at the beginning of his career that it’s not going to last that long. He’s never going to win 22 Grand Slam titles.

“He’s only a clay-court player, which he has proved he’s not. He was a very good grass-court player at the end as well. It’s sad, but life goes on.

“He wouldn’t have thought that he was going to have such a long career. I think we can’t take it for granted what we’ve witnessed in the last 20 years of him. I’m sure he doesn’t.”

The 22-time Grand Slam champion has led Spain to four Davis Cup triumphs, beating then-world No. 2 Andy Roddick in the 2004 final to announce himself on the world stage.

And having been a ball boy at the competition before turning professional, Schett believes a home tournament will make the perfect swansong.

Schett said: “It couldn’t be a better time for him to retire as a player at the Davis Cup in Malaga, back home in Spain. I’m sure it’s going to be huge. They’re going to put on a big show. He probably doesn’t even want that.

“He’s going to have that big goodbye ceremony. But I think he’s just happy with anything.

“He doesn’t need the big scene. He doesn’t need the big spectacle that’s all about him. I think he’s at ease and he knows exactly what he’s done in his career.

“He doesn’t need the bells ringing everywhere.”

And Schett knows better than most of Nadal’s humility, insisting that, in spite of all he has achieved, he would still be “down to earth”.

“Rafa Nadal has the right values in life,” said Schett. “If he would have won 40 Grand Slam titles, if he would have won none, he would have still been the same person.

“He’s just kind. He’s respectful to everyone. And I remember personally, he would get out of his way when he was 20 meters away to say, ‘Hi, Barbara, how are you doing?’ And he doesn’t need to do that.

“He probably could buy a whole city. He’s a very wealthy man, but he’s down to earth. He has empathy with people, how they’re feeling and how they are. That’s what I really appreciate.

“He just had so much love for the sport, and he certainly got the very best out of himself. When he’s 80 and he’s sitting on his sofa in Majorca, he doesn’t have any regrets.”