Nadal: “I feel like this was my last singles match as a professional”

The 38-year-old says he would not pick himself in the next match if Spain somehow manage to come from behind to beat the Netherlands

Simon Cambers

November 19, 2024

It may all be rendered moot depending what happens in the rest of the tie but if Tuesday’s Davis Cup defeat proves to be his last ever match, Rafael Nadal is ready.

The 38-year-old, who will retire from the sport after this weekend, was beaten 6-4, 6-4 by Botic van de Zandschulp as Spain fell 1-0 down to the Netherlands in the quarter-finals in Malaga on Tuesday. If Carlos Alcaraz cannot win his singles – and even then if Spain don’t win the doubles – that will be that for one of the best sportsmen ever to come out of Spain, in any sport.

“I feel like this was my last singles match as a professional,” Nadal said, quoted by Spanish sports newspaper Marca, going on to offer a poignant bookend to a Davis Cup career which saw him win 32 straight matches (29 in singles) before Tuesday’s loss. “I lost my first Davis Cup match and I lost my last.”

“Given my level, I wouldn’t choose myself”

On a slick surface in Malaga, Nadal had the support of the home crowd but his timing was not quite there, not surprisingly given that he had not played competitively since the Olympics in August. He had trained well, he said, and was ready to go, but could not produce anything like his best, while the emotions of the day were tough to handle, too.

If he is needed again this week, he will be ready to play, he said, but he’s also willing to believe that he’s done and if were the captain (and not David Ferrer), he would not pick himself in the semis.

” I can not say I’m sorry because this is sport. I tried as I have always tried. One can not control the level you have. I already said that I would discard myself if I did not see myself ready but I have trained well enough.

“I hope that Carlos (Alcaraz) wins his singles and then the doubles. I will keep training every day in case the team needs me at some point.

“If I were the captain, I wouldn’t play the next match. Given my level, I wouldn’t choose myself, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to play. Today’s match may have been my last individual match. He made the decision to play, that’s what he’s the captain for. I didn’t put any pressure on him. The decision was made for me to play and we knew there was a risk. I couldn’t win the point, I can’t say sorry because this is sport. I tried as I always have. You can’t control your level. “If I were the captain, I wouldn’t play the next match. Given my level, I wouldn’t choose myself, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to play. Today’s match may have been my last individual match. He made the decision to play, that’s what he’s the captain for. I didn’t put any pressure on him.

“The decision was made for me to play and we knew there was a risk. I (might) not win the point, I can’t say sorry because this is sport. I tried as I always have. You can’t control your level. I already said that I would rule myself out if I didn’t feel ready, but I trained well enough.”

“I didn’t have the mental agility to make decisions without thinking”

Nadal said he would not give himself too hard a time over his performance.

“I knew it could be my last match as a professional and the emotions were difficult to manage,” he said. “I didn’t have the ability to read the game quickly enough to feel in control. The points went by very quickly and there was no time to think.

“When you’ve spent so much time out of competition, everything is decided by small details. I’m not in the same (automatic mode) as players who are on the circuit. Today won’t be the day for me to criticise myself. I didn’t have the mental agility to make decisions without thinking.”