Rafael Nadals farewell to professional tennis is now imminent. The Spanish champion has chosen the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga as the last event of his extraordinary career and hopes to greet fans from all over the world by helping his country in an event he has always honored.
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The former world number 1 has played very little in recent months and his condition is certain ahead of the Davis Cup Finals, but Rafa will do everything he can to be competitive next month. To be honest, Nadals version in the 'Six Kings Slam' in Saudi Arabia last week does not leave much room for optimism.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion faced his young compatriot Carlos Alcaraz and his eternal rival Novak Djokovic in the tournament-exhibition in Saudi Arabia, but he appeared far from the level of these top players. Rafa had not played since the Olympic tournament this summer, preferring to skip the US Open and the Laver Cup so as not to further stress his already worn out body. Just before the performance in Saudi Arabia, it was decided to end his career next month in front of his fans in Malaga.
Spain is probably the second favorite on the eve of the event, behind only Italy ofJannik Sinner who will defend last years title. Many fans and insiders were convinced that Rafa would add at least one tournament to regain pace and confidence before the Davis Cup Finals.
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Rafa's role in Malaga
The Paris-Bercy Masters 1000 seemed to be the most equipped tournament to meet this need, but Nadal preferred not to ask for any wild card. In an interview with Tennis Majors before the last Masters 1000 of the season, tournament director Cedric Pioline expressed his point of view on the Spaniards current status: "He has decided not to play any event before the Davis Cup. I am of the opinion that he is only going to play doubles to say goodbye and will not endanger the teams result. He knows that the less you play, the harder it is to acquire the rhythm.
Just like his great rival Roger Federer did at the 2022 Laver Cup, the most likely hypothesis is that Rafa plays a doubles match as the last match of his career. His physical condition is too poor to be deployed in single by Spanish captain David Ferrer. Spains chances at the Davis Cup Finals will be best seen by Carlitos Alcaraz, who won two Grand Slams in 2024 and the Indian Wells Masters 1000. The second Spanish player to play in singles should be Roberto Bautista Agut, who won the tournament in Antwerp last week.
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Murray and Nadals retirement this year has accentuated the feeling that an era is over. Only Novak Djokovic is still active in the professional tour among former members of the Fab Four, while Roger Federer had retired in 2022. The Serbian champion is still very competitive at the highest levels and will be looking for his 25th Major title in 2025, although this year he has not won any Slam titles for the first time since 2017.
The 37-year-old from Belgrade has already announced that he will be in Malaga next month to pay tribute to his biggest rival at the final event of his career. Hardly anyone thought that the Spanish legends career would last so long, especially because of the numerous injuries he had during his career.
An unexpected longevity
During a long interview with 'AS', the 14-time French Open champion revealed some secrets behind his longevity: People were asking me why you dont retire sooner? And from an outside point of view its easy to make an opinion. From the couch and typing with a mobile or computer. But when youre happy doing what you do and your family is happy too, you want to try to keep going. And my family was happy to travel with me to tournaments, living a different experience and I think I would have liked to follow more if I could and had really found the way to do it in some standards that made me happy.
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And it was because I got the support of people who needed to be by my side to do that, who were happy to follow me. If that had not happened, it would have been very difficult for me to follow, and more as these last times have been. Having been able to live this year and little more traveling with the family in a different way and living the circuit in a different way, has brought me a positive experience and I think unforgettable.
