Spanish superstar admits that his role in Malaga may be limited to doubles rather than singles
\n Malaga
\nSpanish superstar Rafael Nadal is aiming to cap his emotional farewell from tennis with another Davis Cup triumph in Malaga next week.
\nNadal, 38, has battled injuries over the past few years and the extent to which he can compete for his country is unknown, but all eyes will be on the 22-time Grand Slam winner.
\nThe veteran led Spain to victory in Madrid five years ago \u2014 the last time they won the trophy and Nadal\u2019s fourth.
\nHowever, he admitted Saturday that his role in Malaga may be limited to doubles rather than singles.
\n\u201cFirst off, we\u2019ll have to see how I feel in training and, if I really don\u2019t feel I have a chance to win the singles, I\u2019ll be the first to not want to play,\u201d Nadal said in comments to the Spanish Tennis Federation (RFET).
\n\u201cIf I don\u2019t feel ready, I\u2019ll be the first to speak to the captain (David Ferrer). I\u2019ve already told him on a few occasions not to make any decisions based on the fact that it\u2019s my last week as a professional tennis player.\u201d
\nFrench Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz will be Spain\u2019s leading player and his presence offers Nadal a real chance of retiring on a high note.
\n\u201cProbably one of the most special tournaments that I\u2019m going to play. Last tournament of Rafa, I\u2019ll be able to be next to him in the last moments on a tennis court for him,\u201d said Alcaraz who played alongside Nadal in doubles at the Olympics in Paris this year.
\n\u201cI think it\u2019s most important for Rafa, for his last tournament. I really want him to retire with a title. It\u2019s going to be really, really emotional and a really special tournament for me.\u201d
\nRepresenting Spain, Nadal won singles gold at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and triumphed in the doubles at Rio 2016 alongside Marc Lopez.
\nBut former world number one Nadal\u2019s injury setbacks in the twilight of his career have seen his ranking slump to 155.
\nThe last of his 92 career titles came with his 14th French Open and 22nd major at Roland Garros in 2022.
\nHe hasn\u2019t played a competitive singles match since losing to Novak Djokovic at the Olympics in July while in 2023 he played just four times.
\nMany are hoping for Spain and Alcaraz to meet world number one Jannik Sinner\u2019s Italy, the defending champions, in the final, as the two young stars continue to build on a gripping rivalry.
\nRecord 32-time champions the United States have selected a strong team spearheaded by US Open finalist Taylor Fritz and are also among the most likely contenders.
\nNadal clashed with Alcaraz in Saudi Arabia at the \u201cSix Kings Slam\u201d exhibition in October, losing in straight sets, but they will be fighting for the same goal in Andalucia.
\nThe start of the Billie Jean King Cup was delayed because of a weather alert in the Malaga region, in the wake of devastating floods in the east of Spain.
\nAlcaraz, ranked third in the world, said the flooding in Valencia increased his motivation to help his country triumph.
\n\u201cI\u2019m here to give my grain of sand because playing for Spain is the biggest thing that there is for me,\u201d he continued.
\nTennis greats and stars from other sports are among those clamouring to watch Nadal\u2019s farewell, with career rivals Djokovic and Roger Federer among those expected to attend.
\nSpain face the Netherlands on Tuesday in the last eight, with the winner taking on Germany or Canada in the semi-finals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Spanish superstar admits that his role in Malaga may be limited to doubles rather than singles Malaga Spanish superstar Rafael Nadal is aiming to cap his emotional farewell from tennis with another Davis Cup triumph in Malaga next week. Nadal, 38, has battled injuries over the past few years and the extent to which he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":444202,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-444182","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n