Ferrer says Nadal is preparing to play singles at Davis Cup Final 8

Spain’s Davis Cup captain David Ferrer is keen on making the most of 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal‘s presence at the Davis Cup Final 8 scheduled on home soil in November this year.

The Davis Cup fever for 2024 will culminate in Malaga with squads from Spain, Italy, USA, the Netherlands, Germany, Canada, Argentina, and Australia fighting for national pride in the knockouts from November 19-24.

Spain is pitted against the Dutch side in the quarter-finals after staging a clean sweep at the Davis Cup Finals in September on the back of Carlos Alcaraz’s heroics against Group B teams from Australia, Czechia, and France.

The Spaniards will go into the knockouts strengthened further by Nadal’s arrival. The 38-year-old joins countrymen Alcaraz, Roberto Bautista Agut, Pablo Carreno Busta, and Marcell Granollers under former world No 3 Ferrer’s captaincy.

Nadal, who has helped Spain to five Davis Cup titles in 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2019, is close to drawing curtains on his decorated tennis career that began in 2001. Cautious of injuries, he hasn’t been a regular on the Tour, last making an appearance at the Paris Olympics for national duty.

Thus, Spain’s Davis Cup captain Ferrer is mindful of the 22-time Major winner’s scheduling decisions, however, believing the latter can still give the opponents a run for their money.

“I know Rafa is an honest person and that if he steps on the court, he will give his 100 percent,” Ferrer said in a recent interview (translated). “I’m aware of his competitive capabilities, the issue he is facing is that physically he can’t sustain the level for long periods, but in a single match, he can be unbeatable.

“You can never count out a player like him. The fact that he is so thrilled to be with the team, as he was the one who called me before the qualifying phase, makes me see that it’s perfect to have him with us.

I have no doubts. If he is fit and I see him training properly, he will play singles.”

David Ferrer

The Netherlands will fly to Malaga for Davis Cup duty, with Botic van de Zandschulp, Tallon Griekspoor, Jesper de Jong, and Wesley Koolhof leading the charge. Van de Zandschulp famously knocked out Alcaraz, arguably Spain’s greatest asset this year, at the US Open a few weeks ago.

Ferrer plans to send Nadal to the quarter-final battlefield for a singles showdown with Van de Zandschulp at Davis Cup Final 8 and the veteran seems to be up for the challenge.

“When the draw was announced, I sent him a message and told him to prepare to play against Botic Van de Zandschulp. His response was clear: ‘I’ll be ready’,” Ferrer added. “This month, he will compete in the Six Kings Slam, and I would like him to participate in another event before joining the team. I will discuss this with him in the coming weeks.”

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