by Rafael Nadal says he feels emotionally prepared to end his career at next month’s Davis Cup finals, but the Spaniard will only play the singles if he is “ready to win”.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion announced last week that he would retire from tennis after representing Spain in Malaga, where the Davis Cup will be played November 19-24.
Nadal, 38, is currently taking part in the Six Kings Slam exhibition game in Saudi Arabia and will face his long-time rival Novak Djokovic for the final time on Saturday.
“Emotionally, I’m sure I’ll be ready. Physically and in terms of tennis level, I still have a month left to prepare,” Nadal said after his loss to Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday.
“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.”
“Be 100% sure, I won’t be on the court if I don’t feel ready to win my match.”
After losing his semifinal 6-3, 6-3 to compatriot Alcaraz, with whom he teamed in doubles at the Olympics and could do so again at the Davis Cup, Nadal faces Djokovic in the third-place match.
Serbian Djokovic, the only man to have won more Slams than Nadal with 24, was beaten 6-2, 6-7 (0-7), 6-4 by world number one Jannik Sinner, who beat Alcaraz for US$6 million -Dollars (£4.5) will compete in prize money.
“Having Novak at the helm [of me]“It’s like a nostalgic thing,” said Nadal, who has won 29 of his 60 meetings with Djokovic.
“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 put on a good show and a good level of entertainment.”
Of Alcaraz, who at 21 has already won four majors and will face the 23-year-old Sinner in the coming years, Nadal said: “He will do very well with what he has. He’s constantly learning.”
“We can see that he is developing in every way. But of course I’m ready whenever he wants to call me.”
Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in sport since 2021, when the country’s crown prince made it a central part of his strategy to diversify the economy.
However, the Gulf kingdom has been criticized for its human rights abuses and accused of using these investments and hosting high-profile events to improve its international reputation – a practice known as “sports laundering.”
