Rafael Nadal held his pre-tournament press conference–the last one of his storied career–at the Davis Cup Finals on Monday afternoon. Nadal will retire later this week in Malaga, Spain, whenever the host nation plays its final match.
“Everybody knows how much I love my country in general,” the 38-year-old said. “[To] play my last event in Spain, it’s something that I am very happy with. Thanks to the work that [the team] made in Valencia to qualify for the Finals, I have the chance to enjoy this last moment of my tennis career. Being with them, being with the team, and playing in Spain is something very special–because I will never have the chance to thank enough everybody here in Spain (for) the support that I receive and the love that I felt always.”
Nadal won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, an Olympic gold medal in both singles and doubles, and spent 209 weeks at No. 1 in the ATP rankings. He is also a three-time Davis Cup champion.
Is a fourth triumph in the cards? The Spaniards certainly have a chance to take care of business in front of the home crowd, boasting a roster that–in addition to Nadal–includes Carlos Alcaraz, Roberto Bautista Agut, and doubles specialist Marcel Granollers. They are heavy favorites against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals and would not have to face Italy until the championship tie.
It remains to be seen how much–if any–Nadal will contribute.
“I cannot predict what’s going on,” Nadal said of Spain’s lineup. “If I am on court, hopefully [I will] not [be emotional], 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 team competition.
“The most important thing here is 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. The emotions [are] going to be for the end. Before and during, it’s to be focused on what we need to do.”
who ya got?