MALAGA. Two hundred journalists and dozens of photographers have gathered in the conference hall of a luxury hotel on the sunny coast of Spain. The hall is two floors below the hotel entrance. Going down the stairs, you can see the dining area, which has a direct view of the massive swimming pool and the Mediterranean Sea.
The setting is, in a word, cinematic.
The impression gets stronger, the cameramen’s cameras start to beat the competition. The captain of Spain’s five-member Davis Cup team walks into the conference hall by David Ferrer with.
At Letka’s tail, the most awaited character of the event arrives, ending his professional career at this tournament Rafael Nadal. The top players fill the interview table in order of arrival, and the all-conquering Nadal, 38, hopes to sit on the sidelines.
A teammate Marcel Granollers however, politely directs his peers to the center next to captain Ferrer.
Nadal can sense that the situation is awkward. Numerous injuries in recent years have dropped the Mallorcan star to number 154 in the world singles rankings. There are no less than seven Spaniards ahead of her.
Nadal has played only 22 competitive matches this year, the last one from the Paris Olympics almost four months ago.
Nadal is in the team for practically only one reason: to play doubles with Granollers.
For the next half hour, the reporters ask questions that deal only with Nadal. The first half of the event is in English and the second in Spanish.
Third in the world rankings, reigning champion of the French Open and Wimbledon Carlos Alcaraz gets two speeches, one in both languages. The topic is the importance of Nadal in his career.
When Alcaraz was born in 2003, tennis people were already excited about the 18-year-old Nadal, who had already broken into the top 50 in the world rankings.
Since then, Nadal’s resume has grown to 92 ATP tournament wins, 22 of which are Grand Slam titles. He has won the Olympic gold in singles and doubles, and has been awarded, among other things, the Laureus award for the best athlete in the world in 2011 and 2021 and the BBC sports personality of the year award in 2010.
– It was an honor to play doubles with Rafa at the Paris Olympics. This week will be emotional for me and for every tennis fan, says Alcaraz at the press conference.
Nadal emphasizes in his English answers that his playing in the Davis Cup finals is not certain.
– He is important to the team every day. I will decide on the matter on Tuesday, Captain Ferrer announces.
The questions in English will end. When Nadal gets a moment’s peace from the barrage of questions, he stares at the ceiling continuously for about a minute.
For the beginning of the Spanish-language part, Nadal sharpens his words.
– The cinematic endings are for American films. I noticed some time ago that my life doesn’t go like that. It would be fantastic if this team wins the Davis Cup. It would mean beautiful homework for me and bring joy to everyone.
A lovable character
Joy. That’s what Nadal has brought to Spanish sport enormously. Although it is difficult to compare athletes from different sports, the Spanish Sportsman of the Year award can be used as one measure.
Unlike in Finland today, in Spain men and women still have their own award category. This has been the case since 1982. Nadal is the only one to have won the award three times.
Nadal enjoys immense popularity among Spaniards. In the evening before the press conference, an invited party was organized in the center of Malaga. Along the red, or in the case of the Davis Cup, green carpet, the teams that made it to the final tournament and a host of local celebrities walked into the city museum of Malaga.
Outside the fenced area, dozens of supporters waited for well over two hours to catch even a glimpse of Nadal.
The players of the Spanish team walked into the limelight Vamos Rafa! – accompanied by screams. When Nadal got to choose his place in the team picture, he tried to position himself on the edge again. In the end, captain Ferrer himself walked to the edge and moved Nadal to his successor Alcaraz.
The senior citizens who attended the event Maria Jose and Teresa say that Nadal’s popularity is primarily due to the player’s humble and human nature. The friends are moved when they talk about their sports hero.
– He helps when people need help. When Nadal’s hometown of Mallorca suffered from floods (2018), he went there, put on his rubber boots and started cleaning the places from the mud. Not everyone does that, says Teresa.
– There are only good things to say about him. She is an exemplary Spaniard, Maria José compa.
Even though Nadal has earned almost 130 million euros in prize money in his career and estimates of his assets are more than half a billion, his career has not been just a victory march.
Nadal had to withdraw from several prestigious tournaments due to injuries. A journalist who closely followed the superstar’s career of Nico de Vicente According to Nadal, the Spaniards have a strong image of a hero who rises from difficulties to victory time and time again.
– I asked Nadal’s uncle that way for a while Toni from Nadalwhich is the most special thing about Rafa. Toni replied that it’s how Rafa endures pain. How is Rafa able to endure pain for his goals. I agree. In bad moments, he has never thrown in the towel or misbehaved, says de Vicente.
Does it play at all?
The press conference at the luxury hotel ends. At this point, it is not yet known whether the occasion will be the last of Nadal’s competitive career. The reason for the lack of awareness can be found in the game system.
In the Davis Cup finals, the matches are played on a best-of-three system, where two singles games are played first. If the other team wins both matches, the doubles planned for Nadal will not be played at all.
Spain will face the Netherlands on Tuesday night, winning which would mean a place in Friday’s semifinals and extend Nadal’s farewell. At the sold-out Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin stadium on Tuesday, several tennis fans want to see Nadal at Takuu. However, the wish may not come true also because Spain is playing well and leads 2–0 after the singles.
Captain Ferrer tells Urheilu that it’s not worth worrying about. Nadal’s position is unshakable, whatever the farewell.
– He is an eternal legend. He has meant a lot to us both professionally and personally. All that he has achieved makes him an unforgettable athlete. He is an indelible part of tennis history, says Ferrer.