RAFAEL NADAL bade an emotional farewell to his home fans today after losing to Jiri Lehecka on his final appearance at the Madrid Open.

The great Spaniard is playing his final season on tour and had battled into the fourth round but young Czech Lehecka proved too strong, winning 7-5 6-4 to dash the hopes of a partisan crowd at the Caja Magica.

Nadal has won the tournament a record five times, firstly in 2005 and lastly in 2017, and five banners spelling out “Gracias Rafa” were unveiled following his defeat just after midnight before he was awarded a special trophy.