Spain tennis great Carlos Moya, who is also Rafael Nadal‘s coach, admitted that he is “not prepared” for the latter’s last hurrah in Malaga on Tuesday. Nadal is all set to play his final match of his professional career at Spain’s Davis Cup Finals tie against the Netherlands in the quarterfinal round.
Nadal was initially expected to play the doubles against the Dutch side, but according to the latest report, he will play the first singles match on Tuesday, against Botic van de Zandschulp, as he aims to end his career on a high note.
Moya, who joined Nadal’s camp in 2016, admitted he “fully accepted” Nadal’s decision to hang his boots, which he arrived to after a long battle with injuries, which denied him a proper comeback to the tour, but added that he isn’t quite ready to wrap his head around the possibility that the 22-time Grand Slam winner will be playing his last match o Tuesday.
“I have fully accepted it because it’s not something that happened overnight,” he said. “It’s a decision he has carefully considered, we’ve talked a lot about it. It’s not a sudden thing.”
“What I’m not prepared for is today being Rafa’s last day as an active player,” he added. “That’s something I can’t wrap my head around, but I have come to terms with the fact that this is the last week.
“My hope and excitement are to be here until Sunday. Everything has its time, and we are here to celebrate Rafa and thank him for all he has given to so many people. For now, I’m fully behind him and happy to be here.”
‘I’m not here to retire’
Despite the buzz around the Davis Cup rubber in Malaga being solely around Nadal’s retirement, the Spaniard repeatedly told the fans and the media that he is only with the team to help them make the semis and win the Davis Cup title for the first time since 2019.
“I am not here for retiring, I’m here to try and help the team,” he said last week. “Of course it’s going to be my last week on the professional tour, but at the end, we are in a team competition.”
Nadal, a four-time Davis Cup champion, was in fact part of the victorious Spanish side in 2019. Overall, he has a 29-1 record in singles in the competition, having not lost a match since 2004.