by Rafael Nadal has revealed he is prepared to forego next month’s Davis Cup singles if he does not feel like playing ahead of his showdown with Novak Djokovic at the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia.
The veteran will go into the showdown looking to bounce back after losing 6-3, 6-2 to Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday.
Nadal recently confirmed that he would be retiring from tennis after an illustrious career in which he won a whopping 22 Grand Slam titles.
Only Djokovic, who he will face on Saturday, has won more.
Rafael Nadal has revealed he is prepared to forego next month’s Davis Cup singles if he does not feel like playing ahead of his showdown with Novak Djokovic at the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia
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Once the Middle East tournament is over, Nadal will play for Spain in the Davis Cup.
However, the veteran has now revealed that he could withdraw from singles if he is unable to play. However, he is confident he will regain fitness as he retires from the sport.
“Emotionally, I’m sure I’ll be ready. Physically and in terms of tennis level, I still have a month to prepare,” he said after his loss to Alcaraz.
“I will try to be in good shape to help the team win. If I don’t feel ready for singles, I’ll be the first to say so.”
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“Be 100 percent sure, I won’t be on the court if I don’t feel ready to win my game.”
Nadal and Djokovic will meet for the last time on Saturday in what promises to be an emotional event.
The pair have fought each other 60 times over the years, with Djokovic winning 31 of those contests while his friend won 29.
The Serb also got the better of Nadal when they met at the Paris Olympics earlier this year.
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And Nadal has admitted he is looking forward to facing Djokovic for the final time as his time in tennis comes to an end.
“Having Novak at the helm [of me]“It’s like a nostalgic thing,” the 38-year-old added.
“We have played against each other a lot, so it will be fun to play against each other again in this game.”
“Hopefully we can create a good show and a good level of entertainment.”
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Rafael Nadal lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the Six Kings Slam duel on Thursday
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As Nadal retires, Alcaraz continues to impress.
Having already won four Grand Slams, the 21-year-old and Jannik Sinner look set to dominate the sport for many years to come.
And Nadal has said he is ready to support Alcaraz if needed as he prepares to head off into the sunset.
“He will do very well with what he has. He’s constantly learning,” he continued.
Rafael Nadal is looking forward to facing Novak Djokovic for the last time
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“We can see that he is developing in every way. But of course I’m ready whenever he wants to call me.”
Alcaraz and Sinner will face each other on Saturday after the match between Nadal and Djokovic.
