Rafael Nadal, Davis Cup goal | ATP Tour

Rafael Nadal

Nadal, Davis Cup goal

The Spaniard is preparing thoroughly to close his career in the Davis Cup Finals

October 17, 2024

Rafael Nadal introduced himself to the world in the 2004 Davis Cup final. Before more than 27,000 people, at the Estadio de la Cartuja in Seville, the Mallorcan won the second point of the tie against Andy Roddick in an epic match that put foot to an entire country.

Now, more than 20 years later and after becoming a sports legend, the champion of 22 Grand Slam titles has chosen that competition (Davis Cup) to definitively lower the curtain on his career as a professional athlete.

“It is closing the circle,” said Carlos Moyà, one of the Manacorí coaches. “The start of his stellar career, the turning point, is the 2004 Davis Cup, when he beat Roddick. It is from there that we begin to see his true potential, becoming the player we later saw. It is very nice for him to say goodbye like this, in Spain and in this team competition. It will be something very special, and in his mind he is making things difficult for the captain so that they can choose him, knowing that there are great players on the team.”

To reach that decision, Nadal has gone through a long process throughout 2024.

“We have thought quite similarly throughout this period, since the operation,” explained Carlos Moyà, one of the coaches of the champion of 22 Grand Slam titles. “When he decided to undergo surgery, we were not sure if he would return or not. His intention is to return, but you never know how you are going to look after an operation, especially being 37 years old,” the Mallorcan continued.

“When we start training in October, November and December, we see that the level is good,” the coach recalled. “And that is why we are going to Australia with great enthusiasm. The first big deal is in Brisbane, in the first week of the year. They tell us that he will not be able to play the Australian Open, and that is a very important step back. Then small injuries come that we didn’t count on, and you have to leave tournaments along the way,” he added. “Before Roland Garros, I have a conversation with him. He asks me sincerely if I think he should back down or hold on for a while. I told him: ‘Why are you going to say anything now? Imagine that you win Roland Garros and then you go to Wimbledon and do well… you leave the door open, you continue with enthusiasm and joy, and we are in the first week in a long time in which you have a tournament without being injured. Let’s see’. He thinks exactly the same, and that’s it. Then Roland Garros happens, the Olympic Games… and we are all seeing that they are running out of clear and realistic objectives.”

By ending his career, Nadal established the last “clear and realistic goal” of his professional life: to represent Spain in the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga. With that objective, the Spaniard has been training thoroughly at the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar, trying to make things difficult for David Ferrer, the captain of the Spanish team, when it is his turn to choose the tennis players who will take to the court on the 19th. November to face the Netherlands.

The most anticipated end of the party.