Rafael Nadal wasn't the sole male to bid farewell during last week's Davis Cup Finals. Renowned chair umpire Carlos Bernardes also brought an end to his 40-year officiating journey. This coincidence was rather amusing considering their shared history, as Nadal had once requested the Brazilian umpire's ban from calling his matches due to a perceived lack of respect.

Confrontations and Resolutions

After spending four decades in the tennis officialdom, Bernardes had his fair share of clashes with players. One notable incident occurred at the Rio Open in 2015 when Nadal realized he had donned his shorts wrongly and sought to change. The 22-time Grand Slam champion also faced multiple time violations. Months later, it came to light that Nadal had asked for Bernardes to be removed from his matches. "Yes, it was my request," he confirmed. "I consider him a great umpire and a good person, but when you have ongoing issues with the same umpire, it's understandable to take a step back for a while." Nadal had claimed that Bernardes' refusal to let him leave the court to change his shorts "showed a lack of respect." However, it seemed their feud was resolved, as the gold-badge umpire has been present in Nadal's matches over the past few years.

Relationship Beyond the Court

As they both hung up their tennis careers at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, Bernardes revealed that any animosity was in the past. He admitted to being sad to see the former world No. 1 retire. "We have that image because of the arguments, but we always treated each other very well," he told AS. "He was always very respectful towards me. And this is something I will never forget. I was sad because he ended his career this way. I wanted to be there to see him." Bernardes' career was intertwined with Nadal's in various ways. He officiated Nadal's first ATP Tour match in 2002 and was in the chair for the first Roger Federer vs Nadal showdown two years later.

The Big Four Era

The 60-year-old is delighted to have umpired during the era of the Big Four. Bernardes added, "I think there are no words to describe these guys who are now finishing their careers. Like Federer, who has already retired, Nadal, Murray... They transformed world tennis. I think there has never been such passion as in this period. The stress with Djokovic, who is still playing, is remarkable. For me, it was an honor to be able to work in this era." It's no surprise that Bernardes holds no grudge against Nadal. He admitted that he never took anything off the court. "No, not bad. Because I never took things off the court. No matter how intense the arguments were, the game ended on the court and was something else off it. Because we are the only ones with a say. And every game, for us, is a final, a unique experience. Because you can referee hundreds of games, and if you make a mistake in one, you are remembered."