Rafael Nadal: Retiring legend 'emotionally ready' for Davis Cup swansong but won't play singles 'if I don't feel ready'
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Published 18/10/2024 at 11:27 GMT+1
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Rafael Nadal's long and illustrious career will end in November when he competes at the Davis Cup Finals for Spain. However, the Spaniard warned that he won't compete in the singles "if I don't feel ready to win". Nadal is also looking forward to a "nostalgic" final clash with his old rival Novak Djokovic at the Six Kings Slam, where they will face off for third place.
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Rafael Nadal says he is emotionally prepared to bow out of tennis at the Davis Cup Finals, but warned he won’t compete in the singles “if I don’t feel ready to win”.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion announced last week that his glittering career will come to an end in November when Spain bid for Davis Cup glory.
Nadal, who has struggled with repeated injury problems in recent years, was back on court on Thursday at the Six Kings Slam, where he fell to a straight-sets defeat to compatriot Carlos Alcaraz.
The pair will be team-mates when the Davis Cup Finals take place from November 19-24, but Nadal offered no guarantees he will compete in the singles.
"Emotionally, I'm sure I'll be ready,” he said.
“Physically and in terms of tennis level, there remains a month left to prepare.
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"I will try to be in good shape to help the team to win. If I don't feel ready for the singles, I'll be the first one to say.
"Be 100% sure, I will not be on court if I don't feel ready to win my match."
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Nadal was comfortably beaten 6-3 6-3 by Alcaraz in Saudi Arabia in his first competitive match since announcing his retirement.
But a defeat for Novak Djokovic against Jannik Sinner in the other semi-final means that the two legendary figures of the sport will face off once again in Saturday’s third-place match.
Djokovic, a 24-time major winner, has a 31-29 head-to-head record against Nadal from an era-defining rivalry spanning 18 years.
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And Nadal is relishing the chance to have one last crack at the Serbian following their second-round clash at the Paris Olympics, which Djokovic won 6-1 6-4.
"To have Novak in front [of me], it's like a nostalgic thing," said Nadal.
"We've played each other a lot, so it'll be fun to play each other again one more time in this match.
“Hopefully we can create a good show and a good level of entertainment."
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