One last dance at home for Rafael Nadal: the Spanish giant bids farewell to the professional circuit starting Tuesday in Malaga, which hosts the final phase of the Davis Cup until Sunday.
Will “Rafa” even play? The question is on everyone’s lips on the eve of the opening match between Spain and the Netherlands, scheduled for Tuesday at 5 p.m. At the end of a season in which he played little and a career punctuated by countless injuries, the state of form of Nadal, aged 38, raises questions.
His last appearance on court dates back to October, when he participated in a lucrative exhibition in Saudi Arabia. In Malaga, “I won’t go on court if I don’t feel like I can win the match”warned the winner of 22 Grand Slam titles.
Djokovic and Murray sur place?
Whether Nadal plays or not, the elite of world tennis will be present at the edge of the hard courts of the Andalusian city to pay tribute to the king of clay, winner of 14 titles at Roland-Garros.
“All the tennis players who played in the same period want to be there. And athletes from other sports, from Spain and around the world, also want to be there“, said Feliciano Lopez, director of the Davis Cup, at the beginning of November.
In addition to Roger Federer, eternal rival of the former world No. 1, the co-holder of the record for Grand Slam titles (24) “Novak Djokovic posted on Instagram that he wanted to be there, Andy Murray too”the souligné Feliciano Lopez. “We plan to do something very special for him, we need to celebrate his career and his legacy”he concluded.
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