Rafael Nadal is unsure about the role in the Davis Cup and will retire on his own terms

MALAGA, Spain – Rafael Nadal said he is unsure what role he will play at this week’s Davis Cup, but he added that he is at peace with his decision to retire from the sport and said any emotion under control will be kept until after the match. Davis Cup is over.

Nadal, 38, was speaking on the eve of competing in his final competition in professional tennis as he lines up for Spain in the Davis Cup following the draw with the Netherlands. Spain captain David Ferrer would not know whether Nadal will play singles or doubles on Tuesday, but Nadal said he is ready to give everything for his country.

“When I’m on the court, I hope to keep my emotions under control. I’m not here to retire, I’m here to help the team win,” Nadal told a news conference.

“It’s my last week in a team competition and the most important thing is to help the team. Emotions will come at the end. Before and after I will be focused on what I have to do.”

It was a packed press room in Malaga for the Spanish team on Monday as Nadal fielded questions about whether he had any regrets about his retirement, and his emotions, as he prepared for one final swing.

He sat on the podium alongside the other members of the Spanish team – including Carlos Alcaraz – but the attention was focused on Nadal, complete with his 22 Grand Slams and incredible legacy in the sport.

“It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time, I wanted to get one more chance,” Nadal said.

“I’ve been trying to work as hard as I can for the past month and a half. I’m just trying to do my best every day. It’s hard to maintain the level consistently when you’re not competing for a while. The improvement is But we have a great team in Spain. The point is that all these players on the tour are having great seasons and it is up to the captain to decide what is best for the team.”

Nadal said he is unsure what emotions he will feel on Tuesday if it is indeed his last match, with Spain potentially playing again in the semi-finals on Friday and the final on Sunday if they get that far. But Nadal said that he left the sports content, he gave everything.

“When everyone comes to the end of a long career, of course I will change the things I did, I will do things I will change to try to be better and to avoid things, but in the end I will… .I have achieved the most important thing for me,” Nadal said.

“I arrived today, and I am at peace with giving everything I had, and I have been playing and practicing since I was seven years old, but at that age I started to work more and more with passion, with love and pleasure .” with the determination to be the best you can be.

“I’m not the kind of guy where I say, no, I’m not going to change things, because it seems arrogant to me. Of course I’ll change things, but one thing has been so important to me, because I’m going to change things.” leave this professional tour with the peace and personal satisfaction that I am doing my best almost every moment.”

Nadal said his decision to retire from the sport was not due to a new injury, but to gradual wear and tear. He said he knew his body could no longer match the level of his own ambition, and said he didn’t want to have another farewell tour where he felt he couldn’t be as competitive as he once was.

“It’s about the things I’ve been through, and I mean, with last year’s surgery, and I’m not going to add the rest of the things I’ve had, but a few things make me feel like I can’t do enough are competitive, and I can’t enjoy my daily life the way I need to be competitive at the highest level,” he said.

“So in the end it’s all about asking myself: OK, I can hold on for another year, but why? To say goodbye at every tournament, I don’t have the ego to need that.” .

“So ultimately it’s about a feeling I’ve been thinking about for a long time. For me today, there’s no point in continuing on knowing that I don’t have the real opportunity to be competitive in the way I want.” to be competitive, because my body doesn’t give me the opportunity to do that very often.”

Nadal played doubles alongside Alcaraz at Paris 2024, and they were able to compete again for Spain against the Netherlands.

“The Olympics were very special with the doubles with Rafa Nadal,” Alcaraz said. “It’s super special for me to be with him during his last moments in tennis. Not just for me, but for the whole team. It’s great for the team that we have the opportunity to accompany Nadal in this tournament.”

Nadal said he is not sure what the future holds. For the time being it is competing for Spain, after that it is the great unknown.

“I’m not worried about the next chapter in my life,” Nadal said. “I’ve always been happy without tennis and I’ve had many times in my life when I couldn’t play tennis due to injuries, so I spent months doing other things.

“But at the same time, always accept the challenge of an important change in my life, that for everyone, when important changes happen in your life, you have to accept the process and accept that at first things are a little… I don’t know or it’s hard, but different, and you have to respect the process, right?