Rafael Nadal says he is more focused on helping Spain win the Davis Cup than retirement as he prepares for the final event of his professional tennis career.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion will call time on his glittering career which spans more than two decades in Malaga this week.
Nadal’s farewell press conference gained so much attention that the initial room at the Martin Carpena Arena was not deemed big enough to cope with the demand, with the event taking place at the team’s hotel on the Costa del Sol instead.
Asked if he thought he might struggle to contain his emotions, Nadal said: “If I am on court, hopefully not, no, because at the end I am not here for retiring. I’m here to try to help the team.
“Then it’s of course going to be my last week on the professional tour, but at the end, we are here in a teams competition.
“The most important thing here is to try to help the team and to stay all focused on what we have to do, that is play tennis and do it very well. Because the rival is going to be difficult, and the conditions are difficult, too. So then the emotions are going to be for the end.
“To play my last event in Spain, it’s something that I am very happy with. Because I will never have the chance to thank enough everybody here in Spain, the support that I receive and the love that I felt always.”
The 38-year-old has competed very sparingly this year, with his only appearance since the Olympics coming at an exhibition event in Saudi Arabia, where he lost both his singles matches.
If Nadal is picked to play singles, he would take on Dutch No 1 Tallon Griekspoor, but it is probably more likely that he pairs up with Marcel Granollers in the doubles – although a 2-0 victory for either team in the best-of-three format could leave him sitting on the bench.
“I just tried to work as hard as possible the last month and a half, then here, just trying to do my best every single day,” Nadal said, speaking on his form.
“Of course, when you are not competing very often, it’s a little bit more difficult to hold the level in a constant basis, but I have good moments, more difficult moments. I think the improvement is there every day, but we have a great team in Spain.
“So the thing is all these players on the tour are playing very well, having great seasons. Then it’s the work of the captain to decide what he feels it’s better for the team.”
Captain David Ferrer said he has not yet decided his team, although Carlos Alcaraz seems sure to play despite the illness that affected him at the ATP Finals last week.
Nadal announced in a video message last month that this tournament would be his last, deciding after much soul searching that his body no longer allowed him to compete at the highest level.
“It’s something that I have been thinking for quite a long time, some on and offs during the season,” he said. “But I tried always to give me one more chance.
“But it’s something that I decided with time. So I’m enjoying the week. I know it’s going to be a big change in my life, but that’s going to happen later after this week. Now I am here on the team, and I am very excited.”
The Davis Cup runs from November 16-24 featuring eight nations – Netherlands, Germany, Canada, United States, Australia, Italy, Argentina and Spain.
Davis Cup 2024 schedule
Final 8
Tuesday November 19
Netherlands vs Spain
Wednesday November 20
Germany vs Canada
Thursday November 21
United States vs Australia
Italy vs Argentina
Semi-finals
Friday November 22
Netherlands/Spain vs Germany/Canada
Saturday November 23
United States/Australia vs Italy/Argentina
Final
Sunday November 24
TBC
Davis Cup 2024 teams
Netherlands: Tallon Greekpoor, Botic van de Zandschulp, Jesper de Jong, Wesley Koolhof
Spain: Carlos Alcaraz, Pedro Martinez, Roberto Bautista Agut, Rafael Nadal, Marcel Granollers
Germany: Jan-Lennard Struff, Daniel Altmaier, Yannick Hanfmann, Kevin Krawietz, Tim Putz
Canada: Denis Shapovalov, Gabriel Diallo, Alexis Galarneau, Milos Raonic, Vasek Pospisil
United States: Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton, Rajeev Ram, Austin Krajicek
Australia: Alexei Popyrin, Jordan Thompson, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Max Purcell, Matthew Ebden
Italy: Jannik Sinner, Lorenzo Musetti, Matteo Berrettini, Simone Bolelli, Andrea Vavassori
Argentina: Sebastian Baez, Francisco Cerundolo, Tomas Martin Etcheverry, Andres Molteni, Maximo Gonzalez
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