Selfless Nadal wants to deliver Davis Cup to Spain as farewell gift

As Rafael Nadal prepares to call time on his storied career this week, he has chosen to prioritise Spain over personal glory.

The 38-year-old Tennis great will hang up his boots after the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga. “I'm not here to retire. I'm here to help the team win. It's my last week in a team competition and the most important thing is to help the team,” Nadal said on the eve of the competition.

Nadal is so invested in making Spain champions a seventh time that he is even likely to skip singles and play only doubles. “If I'm on the court I hope to control my emotions,” the 22-time Grand Slam winner said.

“The emotions will come at the end. Before and after I'll be focused on what I have to do. I feel good, I've been thinking about it for quite some time. I've been trying to give myself a chance and I decided over time. I'm enjoying the week, I'm not paying much attention to the retirement thing. It will be a big change in my life after this week. I'm very excited and happy to be here.”

Nadal, who won the French Open a record 14 times, was expected to retire last year after a hip injury that required surgery limited his appearances. His selection for the Davis Cup Finals featuring eight countries had come as a surprise.

“One thing has been so important for me because I'm going to leave this professional tour with the calm and with the personal satisfaction that I gave my best almost in every single moment.

“I have the chance to retire in my country. I enjoy living here in Spain and it's something that makes me really happy. The team was already in Valencia to get into this Final Eight in Malaga and now I'm feeling incredible support from everyone.

“The kids, the press ... all the people are enjoying me and are showing it to me. It's super special,” Nadal said.

Spain face the Netherlands in their opening match on Tuesday and Nadal could feature alongside Carlos Alcaraz, rekindling the partnership they had at the Paris Games where they reached the doubles quarterfinals.

However, it is not sure how much Nadal will be involved in the event, but the veteran isn't bothered about that. “Sport is not mathematics and you can't predict what will happen. I'm going to enjoy myself as much as possible both on the court and if I have to be on the sidelines.

“... There are no ideal endings. Ideal endings usually happen in American movies. It's not something that worries me in that sense. My farewell is going to be what it's going to be. What I want is for the team to be competitive and to be able to win the Davis Cup. My big farewell would be a joy of winning with everyone.

“I don't know if I'll play a match or not. I've played very little in recent times.”