The final tournament of the season is upon us, but the eyes will entirely be on Spain, in Malaga, where Rafael Nadal will be playing his final tournament of his professional career. The season-ending Davis Cup Finals will begin on Tuesday, but the match between Spain and Netherlands will be an emotional affair with one more member of the Big Three slated to hang his boots.
Nadal’s last dance perhaps comes in a fitting circumstance, where he will be surrounded by his home crowd, and teammates, including Carlos Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers. However, Nadal urged not to make the tie in Malaga about his farewell, but more about Spain and their aim to win their first Davis Cup title since 2019.
Nadal and his team will be up against Netherlands, which will feature the likes of Wesley Koolhof and Tallon Griekspoor, in the Final 8. A win could see them in a tie against Germany or Canada in the semis on Friday. The other side of the draw has world no. 1 Jannik Sinner’s Italy, the defending champions, along with the USA, Australia and Argentina.
Ahead of the match, we take a look at all the details of Rafael Nadal’s farewell event in Malaga…
Will Rafael Nadal play singles or doubles in Spain vs Netherlands Davis Cup match?
Earlier last week, Spain captain David Ferrer revealed that Nadal is certain to play the doubles, which sparked hopes of a possible return of ‘Nadalcaraz’ to Spain. However, on Monday, on the eve of the match, Nadal dropped a bombshell revelation saying he isn’t quite sure of his role in the match.
At the team press conference at a hotel in Fuengirola, about 20 kilometres south of the competition venue, Nadal was asked how he has been feeling in practice in recent days and whether he is ready to play.
“That’s a question for the captain,” Nadal responded, drawing a laugh from Ferrer, sitting to the star player’s left.
Ferrer’s answer?
“I don’t know yet,” he said.
The 38-year-old further added saying, “I don’t know if I will play or not any matches. I have played very little in recent times.” This could imply that Nadal may not even feature on the court in his farewell event, with Spain likely to take the final call ahead of the match.
What is Rafael Nadal’s Davis Cup record?
Nadal is a four-time Davis Cup champion with Spain. He has a staggering 29-1 record in the tournament in singles, implying a win percentage of 96.7, the highest for anyone who has played more than 15 matches. Nadal’s only loss came way back in 2004, in his Davis Cup debut, to the Czech Republic’s Jiri Novak. The Spaniard then won 29 matches in a row.
What do the squads for the Spain vs Netherlands Davis Cup Finals look like?
Spain: Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Roberto Bautista Agut, Pedro Martinez, Marcel Granollers, David Ferrer (non-playing captain)
Netherlands: Tallon Griekspoor, Botic van de Zandschulp, Jesper de Jong, Wesley Koohlof, Paul Haarhuis (non-playing captain)
At what time will Rafael Nadal’s match in Davis Cup Final against Netherlands begin?
The Davis Cup Finals between Spain and the Netherlands will start at 9:30 PM IST.
Where to watch Rafael Nadal’s match in Davis Cup Final against Netherlands?
Star Sports Network has the broadcasting rights for the Davis Cup Finals. Live Streaming of the match will be available on Sony LIV and Jio TV.