Rafael Nadal played down retirement talk after his United Cup tennis loss to Cameron Norrie

Spanish tennis champion Rafael Nadal has quashed talk of retirement following his shock defeat to Cameron Norrie at the United Cup, insisting he is here to continue playing tennis.

The 36-year-old world number one fell 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to Norrie in front of a large crowd at the Ken Rosewell Arena in Sydney.

Spanish tennis champion Rafael Nadal has quashed talk of retirement following his shock defeat to Cameron Norrie at the United Cup, insisting he is here to continue playing tennis.

The 36-year-old world number one fell to Norrie 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in front of a large crowd at the Ken Rosewell Arena in Sydney.

This was the fifth time the two players had met and the first time Norrie had won – earning Great Britain their first win of the tournament over Spain.

The 22-time grand slam winner clearly struggled against Norrie, but took exception to reporters asking about his retirement at a press conference.

“For me, I lost my match, that’s it,” Nadal said.

“Every time I come to a press conference, it seems like I have to retire.

‘So you are very, very interested in my retirement. I mean right now it’s not like that.

“When that day comes, I’ll let you know. Don’t keep retiring (questions) because I’m going to keep playing tennis.

Nadal’s shock three-set loss to Norrie and Katie Swan’s upset win over Nuria Parrizas Diaz gave Great Britain a surprise 2-0 lead in Sydney, Spain on New Year’s Eve.

These results mean Badosa will have to beat world 98 Harriet Dart and Carreno Busta will have to get the job done against Daniel Evans to send the tie into the live mixed doubles on New Year’s Day.

Nadal’s shock three-set loss to Norrie and Katie Swan’s upset win over Nuria Parrizas Diaz gave Great Britain a surprise 2-0 lead over Spain in Sydney on New Year’s Eve.

Nadal is currently listed to play in the mixed doubles, and the tennis legend will no doubt be looking to make up for his opening match loss.

Great Britain has already beaten Australia 3-2 in the opening game. If they also defeat Spain, it would mean that neither Australia nor Spain can win the championship.

“It’s true that the competition, the format, doesn’t give you a lot of opportunities, a lot of room for error, right?” Nadal said.

Nadal (pictured) is currently listed to play in the mixed doubles and the tennis legend will no doubt be fighting to make amends for his opening match defeat.

– I’m losing my match now, we’re under a lot of pressure. So let’s see.

Germany is also under pressure after losing 2-0 to the Czech Republic.

Petra Kvitova can end the Czech tie with a win over world number 27 Laura Siegemund.

Norway trail Brazil 2-0 and the pressure will be on Casper Ruud when the world No.3 faces Thiago Monteiro in Brisbane.

Nadal is pictured hiding during his shock loss to Cameron Norrie

Belgium and Bulgaria are tied 1-1, as are Poland and Kazakhstan.

Croatia leads Argentina 2-0.

Australia returns to action on Monday, with Alex de Minaur taking on Nadal and Zoe Hives taking on Parrizas Diaz.