After Roberto Bautista Agut’s triumph in Antwerp on Sunday, it will be even harder for Spain’s captain David Ferrer to choose who will join Carlos Alcaraz in the Davis Cup Finals. This event – scheduled for next month in Malaga – will also host the last official tournament of Rafael Nadal as a professional tennis player.
The former world number 1 has chosen to represent his country for the last time before saying goodbye to tennis and starting a new chapter in his life. The 22-time Grand Slam champion played little and did not achieve much in 2024, which is why he decided that it was time to say goodbye to the sport that made him a global icon.
Rafael Nadal, Six Kings Slam 2024© Stream screenshot
The 14-time French Open champion returned to action last week at the ‘Six Kings Slam’ in Saudi Arabia, losing both his matches to Carlitos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. Rafa – who hasn’t played a match since the Paris Olympics this summer – has seemed far from an acceptable level and will hardly be able to play the single in Malaga in a month.
Nadal will do everything possible to get into good condition at the event, wanting to help his team in an event that has often seen him as a protagonist during his legendary career. After the Six Kings Slam, Rafa doesn’t seem to want to play any more tournaments before the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga. The 22-time Grand Slam champion received a truly exceptional tribute in Saudi Arabia and was given a very valuable golden racket.
An impressive prize money
As everyone knows, they have made much discussion the fees that players received to play this event. Jannik Sinner – who won the tournament – received an unreal prize money of $6 million, while all other players earned $1.5 million. This means that Nadal earned $1.5 million for being on the court for 169 minutes.
Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal© X screenshot
After his match against Djokovic, the former World No.1 sent a message to all the fans: “Thanks to all those present, it has been an incredible event. I want to thank Djokovic for all the moments we have shared on the court. It has been a tremendous rivalry, and you always made me give my best. Thank you for pushing me to give my all and surpass my limits.” He also added: ”It is an honor to have been able to fulfill the dream of being a professional, and I will never be able to thank everyone enough for all the love I have received from around the world for so many years. I have been fortunate, I will miss tennis very much.”
Fans hoped that Rafa would play some tournaments in 2025, maybe the Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo and especially the French Open. However, the Spanish ace has realized that his body will never allow him to play without limitations and he decided to make this very painful decision.
A very painful decision
In a recent interview with ‘La Gazzetta dello Sport’, Roger Federer’s former coach Ivan Ljubicic opened up on Rafa’s decision: “I’m surprised because I thought Roland Garros was probably the right time, the most logical place to stop. But I don’t know what he feels or why that was his decision.
I don’t think a player of this level – as I saw it with Federer – would retire, because he doesn’t want to play tennis anymore. He steps back because he probably feels that he cannot play at a level that is acceptable to him. When the future is not clear, it is not good to continue with this feeling, and it is logical to make a certain decision. I’ve always said it’s one thing, to decide to quit, that is the hardest thing.”
Rafael Nadal, Six Kings Slam 2024© Stream screenshot
Djokovic has already promised that he will be in Malaga to pay tribute to his eternal rival, while the presence of Federer is still uncertain. Roger and Rafa were supposed to meet at the Laver Cup last month, but the Spanish legend preferred to skip the event in Berlin. Although the era of the Big 3 is now over, despite Djokovic being still active, the future of tennis looks very bright thanks to Sinner and Alcaraz.
These two young champions are truly predestined and their rivalry has already reached memorable heights. Despite being only an exhibition match, Jannik and Carlitos gave a great show on Saturday in the final of the Six Kings Slam. The World number 1 prevailed in three sets, after losing the first set at the tiebreak. The world’s top two players could face each other in the Davis Cup Finals.