Monday, November 18, 2024, 12:39
Still exuding his usual competitive spirit, Rafael Nadal was clear this Monday in Malaga: “I’m not here to retire, I’m here to help.” The Davis Cup, which will always be remembered for Nadal’s farewell, could also be the last title on his record and that is all the man from Manacor thinks about.
«It is my last week, but it is a team competition and the most important thing is to be focused and do well. The rivals and conditions are difficult. “Emotions are for last, in the meantime you have to be focused on what you have to do,” he said at a press conference this Monday, accompanied by his teammates.
“There are no ideal endings,” said the winner of 22 Grand Slams. «Ideal endings usually happen in movies and it is not something that worries me in that sense. My farewell is going to be what it is going to be. What I want is for the team to be competitive and to be able to win. My big farewell would be the joy of winning with everyone.”
The main question is whether the Spaniard will play the singles or not, due to the period of inactivity he is going through, with only two exhibitions played since he lost to Novak Djokovic at the Paris Olympic Games.
«That is a question for the captain, not for me. The last month and a half I have worked as hard as I could. By not competing often it is more difficult to maintain a constant level, but the improvement is there every day. “We have a great team, all these players have had a great season on the circuit, so it is the captain’s job to decide what is best for the team.”
In the run-up to his last tournament, Nadal clarified that he would continue playing if his body allowed it, but after consulting with the people who love him the most, he decided that the best option was to hang up his racket.
«I said I didn’t want to retire in a press room and that’s why I went to the operation. It hasn’t gone as well as it could have and that’s why I’ve decided to retire. The normal thing was to retire in 2024 and I think that is really what I had to do. I know I have done everything I should. You have to accept it as such and not let it be any kind of drama. “I have made that last effort that the situation required.”
