“I’m not here to retire, I’m here to help the team win,” he said. Rafael Nadal at the official press conference on the eve of the quarterfinal tie between Spain and the Netherlands, this Tuesday from 5 pm. For him, his special personal situation will be buried until it becomes a mathematical fact, because he prioritizes the Davis Cup, the fight for the seventh ‘silver salad bowl’.
And he doesn’t want distractions or privileged situations. “I’ve worked hard these two and a half months to be as good as possible, but I’ve only played a few games and I don’t know how to respond. “If I’m on the track, I’ll do it with the utmost enthusiasm and determination,” he says calmly as he deadpans. Without wanting to reveal if he will open the duel against Botic Van from Zandschulpa dangerous ‘gunboat’ to beat Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open, or give way to Roberto Bautista.
He assured that “Rafa brings energy and competitiveness, he gets us all fired up.” The Balearic Islands say nothing, or about the option to line up in doubles, even in Marcel Granollers or Alcaraz himself, where he overtook the Dutch Wesley Koolhof and Tallon Griekspoor at the Olympic Games. But on the ground, Martín Carpena in Málaga has a roof and a hard court. Faster conditions.
Captain David Ferrer tried every possibility in the doubles, the deciding point if there was a 1-1 tie. The one from Alcaraz against Tallon Griekspoor is in any guess, he has won the four previous duels.
“I see him well,” Ferrer said of Nadal, putting the responsibility of choosing on the now-coach. “It will be difficult for him,” he added. Although who has the word is Rafael Nadal. At 38 years old and with a legendary career lined up, no one knows himself better than he does. The OK to jump on the court is in your hands. And everything went in that direction.
Trial of Carlos Alcaraz
He had been measuring his strength since last week. In his academy with Roberto Bautistain Malaga with each of his colleagues and also the Australian Alex de Minaur. On the eve of the premiere, he performed a severe test in front of Carlos Alcaraz in the center court. Even half an hour, without completing the set. With intensity and caution
Hip surgery, “where an important part of my iliopsoas was removed,” was the reason for his farewell. Since January 2023, with an injury that took him to the operating room in June, nothing has been the same. “I never competed again with the freedom I had on most occasions,” he says.
He has not played an official match since the Paris Games. Three months away from the circuit. Although it is Rafael Nadal and if he starts playing it is from the belief that he can help. There are 30 singles in the Davis Cup, all of which he won except the first. With him or without him, the slogan does not change: that today is not his last professional day, that the team will go to the semifinals.
May there be more on Friday, before Canada or Germanywhich is measured on Wednesday.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
