Rafael Nadal, who is about to bow out after the Davis Cup finals, spoke on Monday. But he also left some doubt as to whether he will be attending.
“I don’t know whether I’ll play a match or not”.said Monday Rafael Nadalwho is about to bow out after the final phase of the Davis Cup Spain’s opening match against the Netherlands takes place in Malaga on Tuesday.
“There is no ideal ending. Ideal endings usually happen in American movies. (…) What I want is for the team to be competitive and win the Davis Cup. My best goodbye would be the joy of winning with everyone. But I don’t know whether I’ll play a match or not. I haven’t played much lately”.warned the 38-year-old Majorcan ahead of Tuesday’s opening match at 17:00 (GMT +1).
When questioned, Spain captain David Ferrer said he didn’t know if he’d be able to win. “not yet” if he would play Nadal on Tuesday. “If I’m on the court, I hope I can control my emotions. I’m not here to retire. I’m here to help the team win. This is my last week of competition, as a team, and the most important thing is to help the team. The emotions will come at the end. Before and after, I’ll concentrate on what I have to do”.explained the former world number one, who last October announced his intention to retire at the end of the competition (November 19-24).
“We’re planning to do something very special for him”
“I’ve been trying to work as hard as I can for the last month and a half. I’m trying to prepare as well as possible for this event. When you don’t play much in competition, it’s difficult to maintain a constant level. But the improvement is there every day, I believe in it.”he added.
Malaga, “I won’t go on court if I don’t feel up to winning the match”.warned the winner of 22 Grand Slam titles, whose last appearance on a court dates back to October, when he took part in a lucrative exhibition in Saudi Arabia.
“Rafa” had also hinted that, as at the Olympic Games, he might concentrate on doubles with Carlos Alcaraz and not line up in singles. Whether he plays or not, the winner of 14 French Open titles, regarded in Spain as the greatest sportsman in the country’s history, is set to receive a major tribute in Andalusia, where the crème de la crème of the tennis world (Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray…) is expected to attend. “We’re planning to do something very special for him, we have to celebrate his career and his legacy.”Davis Cup Director Feliciano Lopez warned.