Retiring Nadal staving off emotions until Davis Cup campaign is over

Rafael Nadal will not let his emotions get the better of him as he focuses on helping Spain win the Davis Cup Finals.

The tournament takes place in Malaga this week, and will mark the end of Nadal's glittering career.

Nadal, a 22-time grand slam champion, confirmed his retirement in October.

But the 38-year-old made it clear he is not treating the Davis Cup as a farewell tour.

"If I am on court, hopefully not, no, because at the end I am not here for retiring," he said when asked if he would be emotional during the competition.

"I'm here to try to help the team.

"Then it's of course going to be my last week on the professional tour, but at the end, we are here in a teams competition.

"The most important thing here is to try to help the team and to stay all focused on what we have to do, which is to play tennis and do it very well.

The Rafa skyhook #DavisCup | @RafaelNadal pic.twitter.com/gkhqv0oVfU

— Davis Cup (@DavisCup) November 17, 2024

"Because the rivals are going to be difficult, and the conditions are difficult, too. So then the emotions are going to be for the end.

"To play my last event in Spain, it's something that I am very happy with. Because I will never have the chance to thank enough everybody here in Spain, the support that I receive and the love that I felt."

Spain take on the Netherlands in the opening matches of the Finals on Tuesday, with Germany or Canada their potential semi-final opponents.

Though with Nadal having not played a competitive match since he lost to Novak Djokovic at the Olympics in August, Spain captain David Ferrer is unsure if he will be ready to feature against the Dutch.

"I have not decided the players that are going to play," Ferrer said.