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Rafael Nadal will not play in the final Davis Cup match before retiring if he cannot win | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

Rafael Nadal will not play in the final Davis Cup match before retiring if he cannot win | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Rafael Nadal doesn’t want to be a showpiece at the Davis Cup in November and revealed he won’t take part in the singles competition unless he believes he can win.

“Emotionally, I’m sure I’ll be ready,” he said, according to ESPN’s Tom Hamilton. “Physically and in terms of tennis level, I still have a month left to prepare. I will try to be in good condition to help the team win. If I don’t feel ready for the singles, I will be first.

“Be 100% sure, I won’t be on the court if I don’t feel ready to win my match.”

Nadal announced earlier this month that he would retire from tennis after the Davis Cup:

Rafa Nadal @Rafael Nadal

Mil gracias a todos
Thank you everyone
Merci beaucoup à tous
Grazie mille à tutti
谢谢大家
شكرا لكم جميعا
תודה לכולכם
Obrigado a todos
Thank you all
Tack alla
Хвала свима
Congratulations to the little ones pic.twitter.com/7yPRs7QrOi

The all-time legend will be part of the Spanish team that faces the Netherlands in the quarter-finals. The other quarterfinal games pit the United States against Australia, Italy against Argentina and Germany against Canada.

If Nadal doesn’t play in the singles competition, he could team up with Carlos Alcaraz in the doubles tournament. He partnered Alcaraz during the 2024 Paris Olympics and reached the quarterfinals.

Regardless of whether Nadal plays in the Davis Cup, he is one of the sport’s greatest legends and can go home with a resume that few can match.

He has 22 Grand Slam titles and 92 singles titles. Only Novak Djokovic, 24, has more Grand Slam singles titles among men’s players and Nadal has become almost synonymous with the French Open due to his overwhelming dominance at the event.

He won the tournament a record 14 times, further cementing his legacy as the king of the clay court.

Tennis fans certainly want Nadal to take the court one last time in singles at the Davis Cup, but he still wants to win if he does.