Rafael Nadal is about to end his glorious career at the Davis Cup Finals this month. The Spanish legend will have the opportunity to greet its fans and the whole world in Malaga, where there will be an incredible atmosphere for this reason as well. The former world number 1 has understood that he can no longer be competitive at the highest levels and has accepted reality, avoiding playing other tournaments in 2025 with the risk of suffering bad defeats against second-tier opponents.
Rafas body has sent out very clear signals over the last two years and the 22-time Grand Slam champion is ready to start a new chapter ofhis life. The 14-time French Open champion has given everything to this sport, establishing himself as one of the best players of all time.
Considered only a red clay specialist at the beginning of his career, Nadal has improved his game and become a very strong player on all surfaces. His record of 14 Roland Garros wins will probably never be broken, but it should not be forgotten that Rafa has also won two Australian Open, two Wimbledon and four US Open during his amazing career.
The 38-year-old from Manacor cant really have regrets, even though injuries forced him to miss more Grand Slam tournaments than his greatest rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Despite being far from his best form, Nadal will still try to help his Spain at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga. Meanwhile, fans and other players are preparing to pay tribute to one of the greatest athletes of all time.
Tribute to a legend
In a long interview with MARCA, former ATP ace and current Argentinas captain Guillermo Coria paid tribute to the Spaniard: On clay, he broke many records. I think hes one of the best athletes in history because of what he generated and continues to generate. Its a spectacular book on how to compete, how to approach a match, how to resolve the issue if things dont go well and when things go well how to continue with that manual, how to handle yourself off the court, his statements.
I think his family was very important and the people who surrounded him, especially Carlos Moya, who was his great partner and friend. I had just had shoulder surgery the year before and that day I couldnt lift my arm. Rafa showed me every inch of the centre court in Rome, he also ran.
I didnt win that final in Rome, but the best player won and ended up proving it in the following years. He deserved to win that battle because he was better at that moment and marked his path. He began to write his story in Monte Carlo a few weeks before and continued in Rome and didnt stop winning. Im grateful because he brought out things in me that I couldnt have imagined, like the shots I threw in that match.
The last dance in Malaga
Rafas last title will be at the French Open in 2022, when he won the tournament despite a serious foot injury that had made his participation uncertain until the end. Since then, his physical condition has definitely worsened and the Spaniard has had more and more trouble playing consistently over the next two years.
Although Spain captain David Ferrer has stated that he still needs to assess Nadals condition, it seems unlikely that he will be able to play in singles event at the Davis Cup Finals. The most likely hypothesis is that the former world number 1 will play doubles alongside Carlos Alcaraz, as he had already done at the Paris Olympics this summer.
In a press conference during the Rolex Paris Masters this week, Cedric Pioline talked about Rafa: From what I know of him, Im of the opinion that hell only play the doubles to take his leave and not jeopardise the teams result for his personal need to say goodbye. Theres a form of risk in not playing before the Davis Cup Finals, but he knows himself well, he has a whole team and I think its clear in his head.
The less we play, the less rhythm we have. The less rhythm you have, the less confidence you have. Whats certain is that with all his injuries in two years, others would have thrown in the towel sooner. To his credit, he hung in there and chose when and where to call it a day. Thats priceless. Spain is probably the second top favorite to win in Malaga behind the defending champions of Italy (with World No.1 Jannik Sinner).
