Rafael Nadal’s career is coming to an end and fans are preparing to attend his last official tournament next week. The 22-time Grand Slam champion will be the most anticipated player at the Davis Cup Finals, which will take place in Malaga and begin on November 19th.

The former world No. 1 has been a fantastic ambassador for tennis over the past two decades, having helped boost the popularity of his sport alongside two other legends such as Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. These three champions have given their all to make tennis better than when they started their careers. Rafa’s numbers are truly impressive, especially those on his beloved red clay. The 14-time French Open champion – who was considered only a red clay specialist in the early years of his career – worked his game to become an all-around player capable of winning on all surfaces.

The Spanish legend surpassed his eternal rival Federer’s 20 Grand Slam titles, but Nole Djokovic overtook both with his 24 Major titles. The 38-year-old from Manacor has had to miss more Grand Slam tournaments than his two rivals due to injuries, but it wouldn’t be fair to have regrets.

As mentioned, the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga will be the last official event of Rafa’s career. However, fans and insiders are wondering what exactly Nadal’s role will be in Malaga. The former world number 1 does not seem to have the level to play singles, while he could help Carlos Alcaraz in doubles. The two Spanish champions have already played together at the Paris Olympics this summer, putting in good performances before being eliminated in the quarterfinals.

Bautista Agut on Rafa’s role

The other singles should be played by Roberto Bautista Agut, with whom Rafa trained at his Academy a few days ago.

During an interview with MARCA, Bautista Agut opened up on Nadal’s current status: “More than between me and Rafa, Rafa will decide if he is ready to play or not.

“Let’s hope he is fine and we will see who plays. I am ready and I will try to prepare myself as I always do for the Davis Cup – I am ready to play. Then there are many factors. Let’s hope that Charlie (Alcaraz) plays very well in the ATP Finals, the tournament is very close to the Davis Cup. Many things can happen. Luckily we are five players who will be there giving it our all.

Knowing Rafa, I know he’s going to do everything possible to play, he’s going to prepare. He’s a born competitor and there have been very few of those. I know him and I know he’s going to give his all and he’s going to try to be fully prepared for his last match.”

The 14-time French Open champion has already arrived in Malaga and started practicing, but the final decision on his role will only be made before the start of the event. The former world No. 1 has played few matches in 2024 and has never looked in great shape, but he will make the decision himself based on how he feels.

The end of a long journey

Rafa has tried in every way to become competitive again in recent months, but his body has not given the right signals and has been conditioned by new injuries. Roland Garros and Paris Olympics were his main goals this year and both failed. The draw was not favorable for Rafa, who had to face Sascha Zverev at the French Open and Nole Djokovic in the Olympic tournament.

In addition, the 22-time Grand Slam champion suffered an injury in the day before the clash with Djokovic at the Paris Olympics. A very hard blow for a legend like Nadal.

In a recent interview with ‘Radioestadio Noche’, his coach Carlos Moya reflected on Nadal’s decision: “At Roland Garros, we had a conversation and he asked me if I thought he should retire or hold back a bit.

I told him not to say anything before, to have a good tournament, not to close himself off and he thought the same. Then what happens happens and we see the team and he is running out of realistic goals.

As for his game, the doubts continued. This year we did not see any game in which he gave the performance that he showed us in practice.”

Moya also added: ”The final point is the Olympic Games, he has a problem the days before and plays against Djokovic in the second round. I think that was his last great hope and that’s why he decided that it will be his last.”