Rafael Nadal is able to skip singles matches on the Davis Cup finals in Malaga if he feels he isn’t ok to assist Spain achieve his farewell match.
Nadal is retiring after the Davis Cup, the 22-time Grand Slam champion worn down by too many accidents on the finish of his 20 years on tour.
“I’ll attempt to put together as greatest as doable so I might be accessible to play, however I need to assist anyway I can, enjoying or not enjoying,” the 38-year-old Nadal stated on Saturday from Malaga in an interview revealed by the Spanish tennis federation.
“First we’ve got to see how I’m feeling in coaching. If I actually don’t see myself able to have an opportunity of profitable in singles, I’ll be the primary who received’t need to play.” Nadal’s singles document in 2024 is just 12-7. His final official competitors was the Paris Olympics in August, a second spherical loss to longtime rival — and eventual gold medalist — Novak Djokovic. Nadal reached the doubles quarterfinals with Carlos Alcaraz. Final month, he performed two exhibition matches in Saudi Arabia.
“I’ve already informed (Spain captain David Ferrer) on many events to not make any choice primarily based on the truth that that is my final week as an expert tennis participant,” Nadal stated. “The staff comes first, and he shouldn’t be affected within the slightest by any hype that will come alongside due to me. He has to do what’s greatest for the staff and that’s what I would like.” Spain will open on Tuesday in opposition to the Netherlands, and if it wins it’s going to advance to the semifinals on Friday in opposition to Canada or Germany.
“My first nice pleasure as an expert tennis participant was within the Davis Cup in 2004,” Nadal stated.
He helped Spain win the Davis Cup in 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2019.
“I’m greater than grateful with every little thing that has occurred to me in all these years. I clearly would love for the staff to do nicely and for me to have the prospect to win one other Davis Cup, whether or not by enjoying or cheering from the stands. I’d wish to take pleasure in this week and shut a really lovely and really lengthy cycle of my life … accepting that every little thing has a starting and an finish.”
