Neither Rafael Nadal nor Spanish captain David Ferrer would say on Monday whether the 22-time grand slam champion will play singles or doubles — or even at all — at the Davis Cup Finals, his last event before retirement.
Spain are scheduled to face the Netherlands on Tuesday (live on Sony Sports Network & SonyLIV from 9.30pm IST) in the quarter-finals on an indoor hard court at the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena. The winner will play in the semi-finals on Friday. The championship will be decided on Sunday.
Asked at a news conference how he has been feeling in practice and whether he is ready to play, Nadal said: “That’s a question for the captain.” That response drew a smile and laugh from Ferrer, on Nadal’s left.
Moments later at a hotel in Fuengirola, about 20km south of the arena in Malaga, the question of Nadal’s participation was put to Ferrer. “I don’t know yet,” he said. “At the moment, I have not decided the players that are going to play tomorrow (Tuesday).”
The 38-year-old Nadal announced last month that he would walk away from tennis after the Davis Cup at home in Spain. “I’m not here to retire. I’m here to help the team win. It’s my last week in a team competition and the most important thing is to help the team. The emotions will come later,” said the 22-time grand slam champion, wearing the Spain squad’s red polo shirt.
“I’m enjoying the week. I’m not putting too much attention to the retirement. It will be a big change in my life after this week.”
But whether he plays or not, if it’s the last time the world is going to see the Spaniard on a tennis court, it calls for a rewind of his amazing journey.
Match to remember
One of his most iconic performances came in the 2008 Wimbledon final, where Nadal defeated the then-five-time reigning champion Roger Federer in a five-set classic. After 4 hours and 48 minutes of play, second seed Nadal defeated top seed Federer 6–4, 6–4, 6–7 (5–7), 6–7 (8–10), 9–7. This match is regarded by many as one of the greatest tennis matches ever played.
Young achiever
Nadal completed the Career Golden Slam aged 24 — the youngest male player to achieve the feat. He is also the only player to achieve that and win the Olympics gold in singles and doubles.
King of clay
Alongside his record number of French Open titles, he is the most successful player at the Monte-Carlo and Barcelona tournaments, with 11 and 12 titles, respectively. Between April 2005 and May 2007, Nadal won 81 matches in a row on clay courts, the longest winning streak on a single surface in the Open Era.
Surface Slam
He pulled off the Surface Slam, winning majors on three different surfaces in the same year in 2010, and the Double Channel Slam (winning the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year) on two occasions.
Longevity
Nadal is the only player to capture two or more grand slam titles in three different decades. The Spaniard’s 22 career grand slam titles include six in the 2000s, 13 in the 2010s and three more in the 2020s. Nadal is also the only player, man or woman, to hold the world No. 1 ranking in three different decades. He ascended to No. 1 for the first time in 2008 and spent his last week there in 2020. He amassed 209 total weeks at the top spot. Only Martina Navratilova, has spent more consecutive weeks in the Top 10 (WTA).
Text: Elora Sen
