What if we had already attended, without knowing it, Rafa Nadal's last singles match, this summer, in Paris? As the end of his career looms, following the Davis Cup which begins Monday in Malaga, Spain, Nadal has hinted that he may not apply for his team's singles matches and focus than on doubles, or even on an even more secondary role, from the bench, if his body forced him to do so.
“I want to help in any way I can, whether it's playing or not, just being present and contributing what I can,” the Spaniard said ahead of the tournament. First we have to see how I feel in training. If I don't really see myself ready to have a chance to win in singles, I'll be the first to not want to play. Sometimes you see yourself ready and things go very wrong. »
“The team comes first”
Heavily handicapped over the last two seasons by a hip injury, among other things, the 38-year-old is aware that his last singles match dates back to this summer, in the second round of the Olympics against Novak Djokovic (6-1.6 defeat). -4).
Equal to himself and faithful to his vision of tennis, the Majorcan refuses to put the event of the end of his career before the ambitions and interests of the Spanish team led by David Ferrer. “The team comes first. It must not be affected by current noises. He must do what is best for the team,” Nadal confirmed at a press conference, after having already spoken to his coach face to face.
