His heir, Carlos Alcaraz, world No. 3, then tied the two teams by defeating Tallon Griekspoor (40th) 7-6 (7/0), 6-3, before the decisive doubles late in the evening. If Spain is eliminated, Nadal will have delivered his last match. If Spain passes, a semi-final will take place against Germany or Canada. But will he play again? Probably not in singles anyway if we are to believe his post-match statements.
“In my mind, if I were the captain (Editor's note, David Ferrer), I would not be played in the semi-final if we qualified. I went out on the court, I did my best, and I'm grateful to him for giving me this chance. At this point in my career, I can't really complain. I did my best, I tried to enjoy it, it didn't work. But in a way, this defeat may be positive. It was probably my last match. I lost my first Davis Cup match (in 2004), I just lost my last match. The circle is closed. »
“One of the last legends”
During the day, while it was still unknown whether Nadal would be lined up by Spanish captain David Ferrer, spectators were already present in large numbers in the fan zone. They were convinced: as the Spanish media had announced since Tuesday morning, “Rafa” was going to play and Spain would win. “Rafa is one of the last legends” of tennis, judged Sergio, a 25-year-old firefighter who would not have missed his farewells for anything.
While his start against the Netherlands was only confirmed around 4:15 p.m., Nadal argued at a press conference on Monday that he had “tried to work as hard as possible over the last month and a half”. “I think I'm improving every day,” concluded the left-hander from Manacor, who had not played in an official tournament since the Paris Games this summer and whose career has been punctuated by countless injuries.
For Nadal, the priority is for Spain to be “competitive” to be able to run for a 7th Silver Salad Bowl, which is also coveted by the Italy of world No. 1 Jannik Sinner or the United States of Taylor Fritz (4th), Tommy Paul (12th) and Ben Shelton (21st). Of the six coronations of the Iberians, the 38-year-old Majorcan participated in five victorious campaigns (2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2019) but having not played the final in 2008, he only has four Saladiers d 'money.
Federer's tribute
From the gates of the airport to the municipal athletics stadium which faces the site of the final phase, passing through the metro stations, the entire city of Malaga has already begun to pay tribute to the national hero, with great support of ” Gracias Rafa” (Thank you Rafa). Nadal already received a public tribute from his friend and former rival Roger Federer on Tuesday. “You made me work harder than I ever imagined […] You forced me to reinvent my game […] What an incredible career you have had. You have made the entire tennis world proud,” the former Swiss world number 1 congratulated him on social networks.
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