As Rafael Nadal's retirement approaches, city of Malaga makes grand gesture celebrating the legend ahead of BJK Cup and Davis Cup finals
The tennis world underwent a watershed moment as Rafael Nadal formally announced his retirement from the sport on October 10. The Spaniard announced that the 2024 Davis Cup finals in Malaga would be his last professional tournament.
Malaga is the host to the finals of both the Billie Jean Cup and the Davis Cup this year. As these prestigious tournaments approach, the city has been spotted to adorn itself to pay a wholesome tribute to Nadal, who has been one of the greatest players the sport has ever witnessed.
Tennis journalist Jose Morgado shared pictures of the stadium decorating itself for the Spaniard's last dance.
Nadal is expected to play a singles match in Spain's tie against Netherlands in the quarterfinal. He would aim to end his career on a high, helping Spain to clinch their seventh Davis Cup title, having last won the trophy back in 2019. The camaraderie between Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz is a prospect that fans are eager to see, anticipating the pair to play doubles one more time, having done so at the Paris Olympics.
Spain was without Nadal in the previous round and was able to get past the likes of the Czech Republic, Australia, and France. Carlos Alcaraz, Roberto Bautista Agut, and Pablo Carreno Busta notched up wins in the singles ties, while Marcel Granollers was the mainstay in the doubles team, helping Spain notch important wins.
Rafael Nadal has won the Davis Cup with Spain five times
Rafael Nadal has one of the most prolific careers at the Davis Cup. The Spaniard always put his best foot forward while representing his nation. He has a phenomenal record in singles, having lost one match in 30 matches. The only singles loss for Nadal came at the 2004 Davis Cup, where he lost to Jiri Novak Of the Czech Republic. In doubles, Nadal has an 8-4 record, taking his overall record to 37-5.
The Spaniard has won five titles with Spain, clinching the title in 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2019. In his last title triumph in 2019, the former World No. 1 was in unstoppable form as he won all his singles and doubles matches. In singles, he defeated the likes of Diego Schwartzman in the quarterfinals (Argentina), Dan Evans in the semifinal ( Great Britain), and Denis Shapovalov in the final (Canada).
The finals will be played on the indoor hard courts of the Martin Carpena Arena in Malaga. This would be advantageous for Nadal, as the Spaniard has an overall 19-3 record on indoor courts at the Davis Cup.