For the last time in his career, Rafael Nadal plays the Davis Cup. One last dance and big emotions.
The final phase of the Davis Cup begins Tuesday November 19 with the eight nations which qualified during the group stage, without France, eliminated a few months ago. Spain, Italy, the United States, Argentina, Australia, the Netherlands, Canada and Germany will be there. But what will be the role of Rafael Nadal in this competition? The Spanish legend indicated that he was ready to sacrifice singles matches. “I want to help in any way I can, whether it’s playing or not, just being present and contributing what I can,” he added. “First we have to see how I feel at the moment. “If I don’t really see myself ready to have a chance to win in singles, I’ll be the first to not want to play. Sometimes you see yourself ready and things go very wrong.”
“If I’m on the court, I hope I control myself because I’m here to help the team. Of course it will be my last week on the professional circuit. But we are here in a team competition. The most important thing is to help the team, to stay focused on what we have to do. The rivalry is strong, the playing conditions are difficult. The emotions, I save them for the end. Before and during, I will try to stay focused on what I have to do” he said. Good news for fans, the Spaniard will be present for the match against the Netherlands where he will face Botic van de Zandschlup.
Latest updates
1:00 p.m. – The rest of the posters
On Wednesday, Germany and Canada face off on the Spanish courts in a bid to secure a ticket to the semi-finals. On November 21, we will find Italy, the current title holder. The transalpine team is led by world number one Jannik Sinner, Lorenzo Musetti and captain Filippo Volandri. In the quarter-finals, the Italians face Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo and Tomas Martin Etcheverry. On the American side, Taylor Fritz’s teammates challenge Australia.
12:13 – Nadal lined up in singles!
It’s official, the Spaniard will play in Malaga for the match against the Netherlands. The Spaniard is lined up against the young Botic van de Zandschlup at 5 p.m.!
12:00 – Spain enters the fray this evening
First match of the Davis Cup final phase, David Ferrer’s Spain faces the Netherlands from 5 p.m. this Tuesday, at the Palacio de Deportes Martin Carpena. It is currently unknown who the players lined up for this first meeting will be and whether Rafael Nadal will play the match.