Davis Cup Finals News: Rafael Nadal sets record straight about his last event

We are close to the end, tennis fans. Rafael Nadal previously announced that his career will come to an end in 2024 and his last event will be the Davis Cup final 8. He will try to help Spain capture its first Davis Cup title since 2019, and he won't do it alone. Spain will not only have Carlos Alcaraz on the roster but the event will be held in Malaga, Spain, so the home crowd will be behind the team as well.

There is a reason that the sport's Nadal heir apparent is Jannik Sinner, though, and not Alcaraz. That is not meant to be in terms of success on the court but in the differences in how Sinner approaches tennis versus how Alcaraz does. On the court, Alcaraz is much more like a young Roger Federer in terms of taking too many chances. Sinner is the more efficient player, like Nadal was in his prime.

Both Sinner and Nadal tend to be thoughtful in their responses to the media as well, giving enough information, but not going on at lengths. Neither would be mistaken for John McEnroe, for instance. Still, neither seems rude.

Rafael Nadal answers questions ahead of the Davis Cup finals

A perfect example is how Nadal answered questions from the media about what it was like to be playing in the Davis Cup finals ahead of the event. He answered in the perfect way. In other words, just as a tennis fan has come to expect from the Spaniard. He said he could not predict the future as far as how he might feel knowing he might be playing his final match.

Nadal said, "I mean, I don’t know (smiling). I cannot predict what’s going on. If I am on court, hopefully not, no, because at the end I am not here for retiring. 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."

How many other all-time great players in their respective sports would not take the advantage to talk only about themselves? Heck, tennis is not even a team sport normally, so it's not like the Spaniard is used to talking about what it is like to be on a team. His answer did not come across as disingenuous, either. Because it's Nadal and not some other player who has made a history out of being self-serving.

This is why, no matter which country you live in, you might find yourself rooting for Nadal and Spain. How great would it be if he went out a champion? That's the best any athlete could ask for.

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