Rafael Nadal, who is due to bid farewell to tennis at the Davis Cup finals next week in Malaga (November 19-24), assured us on Saturday that he would only play if he felt “ready”. “If I don’t feel ready, I’ll be the first to talk to the captain (of the Spanish team, David Ferrer NDLR). I’ve told them not to make any decisions based on the fact that this is my last week as a professional tennis player.” said Nadal in a video released by the Spanish Tennis Federation (RFET) on the ATP website.

Spain, with whom Nadal has won the Davis Cup five times (2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2019), will face the Netherlands in the quarter-finals and could then meet Germany or Canada in the semi-finals, before a possible final against Jannik Sinner’s defending champion Italy. Currently ranked 155th on the ATP rankings, Nadal, 38, hasn’t appeared in competition since the 2024 Paris Olympics played at Roland-Garros, the scene of the clay-court Grand Slam tournament that the Majorquin has won fourteen times.

Alcaraz at his side

He was eliminated in the second round of the singles tournament by his great rival and future Olympic champion Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-1. Teaming up with Carlos Alcaraz, he reached the quarter-finals of the doubles tournament before losing to the Americans Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram (6-4, 6-2). Alcaraz eliminated from Friday’s ATP Masters by Germany’s Alexander Zverevpresented the Davis Cup finals as an opportunity to “one of the most special tournaments I’ll play in my career”. “This is Rafa’s last tournament, I’ll be by his side for his last moments on a tennis court”, insisted the world No.3.