MALAGA, Spain — Rafael Nadal says he probably wouldn’t pick himself to play singles if Spain advance to the Davis Cup semifinals.
World No. 80 Botic van de Zandschulp beat Nadal 6-4, 6-4 in the first rubber of his country’s quarterfinal tie against the Netherlands, in what could be Nadal’s final match as a professional tennis player. He would be granted a reprieve should Spain keep themselves alive in the competition by winning the decisive doubles rubber, following Carlos Alcaraz’s 7-6(0), 6-3 win over world No. 40 Tallon Griekspoor.
Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers, the former doubles world No. 1, take on Van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolfhof, another former doubles world No. 1 who is also playing his last tournament.
“If I would be the captain, probably I will change, I don’t put myself the next day,” Nadal said in his news conference.
“I will keep working hard every day to be on the team in case the team needs me one more time. If not, just support from the bench.”
Nadal could be selected for the doubles rubber in the semis even if captain David Ferrer, a former world No. 3 in singles, drops him from the one-on-one battles.
Nadal looked a step slow at times Tuesday afternoon, which wasn’t a surprise given he hadn’t played since Novak Djokovic thrashed him at the Paris Olympics four months ago. Nadal insisted that he told Ferrer again and again to make his selections only based on merit.
“I give him, since the beginning, the input that he doesn’t need to feel any pressure to put me,” he said.
Still jovial, Nadal joked that if this was to be his final match, it would at least “close the circle.” His first-ever Davis Cup singles match in 2004 also ended in defeat, with 29 wins and zero losses between then and 2024 in Malaga.
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(Matt McNulty / Getty Images for ITF)
