Rafael Nadal farewell: Encouraging update as Davis Cup is decision imminent
11/15/2024 10:14 AM
Rafael Nadal has arrived in Malaga for the final tournament of his career and Tournament Director Feliciano Lopez has said a decision has yet to be made on what role he will play in the Spain team.
Nadal could play his last matches as early as next Tuesday when Spain take on the Netherlands in a quarter-final tie of an event that is played over a straight knock-out format.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion has arrived in Malaga and has been practising on the courts of a stadium that has huge branding celebrating his career around it’s outer core.
The 38-year-old has had a month to get ready for his final tournament after looking a long way below his best when he played in the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia last month, with former Spain Davis Cup star Lopez suggesting Nadal could play singles next week.
There was a theory that he would only play in doubles – potentially with Carlos Alcaraz – but Spain captain David Ferrer could give Nadal a send-off in singles as well.
“Rafa has been training very hard. He’s been trying to get ready and to be there in the best form,” said Lopez.
“Then it will be up to David Ferrer, who is the captain, if he is going to play singles or doubles. This is going to be decided once everyone is in Malaga.
“As far as I know, he is doing great. He is really looking forward to this special moment. It is going to be very exciting for everyone and also very emotional as it’s going to be his last professional tournament. You know, everyone is so excited.
“Remember that Davis Cup is where everything kind of started for him when he played an amazing match in Seville against Andy Roddick.
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“That was probably one of the turning points in his career and luckily his career is going to come to an end also playing Davis Cup. It’s a very nice thing. So we are very lucky that he is going to be retiring playing Davis Cup in his country, in Spain and in Malaga.
“The most important thing for him is the team. He doesn’t want to do anything that can possibly affect the team. The priority for him is Spain and once they have finished in the competition, we can do something for him. We don’t know when that will be yet. There are a lot of uncertainties.
“We will have everything planned, but we will see when it happens. Of course, when he said Davis Cup was going to be his final tournament, all the attention went to his farewell and the celebration, but the competition itself is so important I don’t think Rafa’s celebration is going to overshadow the competition.”
Nadal has not played a singles match in a competitive tournament since the Olympic Games in Paris last summer, with a farewell appearance in the Davis Cup doubles a more likely scenario next week.
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