Malaga, Spain.- Rafael Nadal is preparing to retire from professional tennis after one last event: he will be part of the team Spain in the final of the Davis Cup which begins on Tuesday in front of his audience in Malaga.
Nadal, 38, has been on the circuit for more than 20 years and is the second member of the so-called ‘Big Three’ of men’s tennis who will stop playing. Roger Federer announced his departure in 2022, while Novak Djokovic still near the top of the game.
“It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make. But in this life, everything has a beginning and an end,” said Nadal, who trained on Friday in Malaga. “And I think it’s the right time to end a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have imagined.”
When will you play your last game?
It is not entirely clear when Nadal’s last match will be, largely because the Davis Cup is a team event and what is now known as the ‘Final 8’ begins at the quarter-final stage. Spain will begin against the Netherlands on Tuesday. If they win that, the Spanish would advance to the semifinals on Friday against Canada or Germany (who meet on Wednesday).
The other quarterfinals are scheduled for Thursday: the United States against Australia, and defending champion Italy against Argentina. The championship round will be on Sunday.
There are two singles matches and one doubles match in each match. The first country to win twice advances. The other wild card in all this: no one knows for sure if Nadal will be chosen by the captain of Spain, David Ferrerto play singles, doubles, both or, theoretically possible, although unlikely, neither.
Who is with you on the Spanish team?
Nadal is accompanied on the Spanish list by the four-time champion of Grand Slam, Carlos Alcaraz, Roberto Bautista AgutPedro Martínez and Marcel Granollers.
Why are you retiring?
The main reason he is ready to move on is that he has been bothered by a series of injuries, including a painful foot, abdominal muscle problems and a hip problem that required surgery last season. “The reality is that they have been difficult years, especially these last two,” Nadal said. “I don’t think I have been able to play without limitations.”
When was your last game?
Nadal hasn’t played much in each of the last two seasons due to injuries. He is just 12-7 in 2024. His most recent official competition came in early August at the Olympics in Paris, where he lost to his longtime rival, and eventual gold medalist, Djokovic in the second round of singles, and reached the doubles quarterfinals with Alcaraz before bowing out.
Nadal also played two exhibition matches in Saudi Arabia last month.
How many Grand Slams did he win?
Nadal finishes with 22 Grand Slam singles titles, behind only Djokovic’s 24 among men in tennis history, and ahead of Federer’s 20. The breakdown: 14 in the French Openfour in the US Opentwo at Wimbledon, two at Australian Open. Nadal’s last major championship came in Paris in 2022, when he required nerve-numbing injections in his left foot.
How have you done with Spain in the Davis Cup?
Nadal has been part of the Spanish Davis Cup team at some point during the five years the country has won the title: in 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2019. That first title came after a teenage Nadal defeated the then number 2 in the world, Andy Roddick of the United States.
“I am very excited that my last tournament will be the Davis Cup final and to represent my country,” Nadal said. “I think I have come full circle, because one of my first great joys as a professional tennis player was the Davis Cup final in Seville in 2004.”
Source: Tribune
