Rafael Nadal made a rare appearance on the tennis court earlier this month at the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Nadal lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals before falling to longtime rival Novak Djokovic in the third-place match.
It was the penultimate event of Nadal’s career prior to his retirement at the end of the year. That is assuming he suits up for the Davis Cup Finals next month. The 38-year-old’s current plan is to play for Spain, although it remains to be seen in what capacity–which will presumably be determined by his health.
“Emotionally, I’m sure I’ll be ready (for the Davis Cup),” Nadal said at the Six Kings Slam. “Physically and in terms of tennis level, there remains a month left to prepare. I will try to be in good shape to help the team to win. If I don’t feel ready for the singles, I’ll be the first one to say.
“Be 100 percent sure–I will not be on court if I don’t feel ready to win my match.”
Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion and 14-time winner of the French Open, has played sparingly over the last two years mainly because of hip and abdominal issues. He has not played an official tournament since the Paris Olympics, where he lost to Djokovic in the singles second round and reached the doubles quarterfinals with Alcaraz. That was Nadal’s final trip to Roland Garros, where he also lost in the French Open first round this spring to Alexander Zverev.
Spain’s roster also includes Alcaraz, Roberto Bautista Agut, Pablo Carreno Busta, and Marcel Granollers. The Spaniards are six-time Davis Cup champions, most recently lifting the trophy in 2019. They are the second favorites to win it in 2024 at +225 odds, trailing only defending-champion Italy (+175).
In addition to Spain an Italy, the other quarterfinalists are Australia, Argentina, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States. The knockout rounds–starting with the quarterfinals–will be played November 19-24 in Malaga, Spain. The bracket from top to bottom is Italy vs. Argentina, United States vs. Australia, Germany vs. Canada, and Netherlands vs. Spain.
Since Spain triumphed in 2019, recent Davis Cup champions are Russia (2021), Canada (2022), and Italy (2023).
