Tennis: Retiring Rafael Nadal focused on helping Spain win Davis Cup

Malaga: Rafael Nadal has said that he is focusing on helping the team win the Davis Cup in the final tournament of his illustrious career and is not paying much attention to his retirement. Nadal has confirmed the Davis Cup will be the final event of his remarkable career which saw him win 22 Grand Slam titles.  “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 told reporters on Monday.

The former World No.1 has played only seven tournaments this year after battling injuries over the past couple of seasons. He last competed at the Paris Olympics, where he fell in the second round to Novak Djokovic. “The emotions will come at the end. Before and after I will 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,” he added.

Spain, which have won six Davis Cup titles — four of which Nadal has played a part in — will face the Netherlands in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. If Spain beat the Netherlands, they will be up against Germany or Canada on Friday. The final takes place on Sunday. A 92-time tour-level champion, who spent 209 weeks at No. 1 in the ATP Rankings, Nadal has been one of the leading lights on the ATP Tour since turning pro in 2001. His 22 Grand Slam titles tally includes a record 14 crowns at the Roland Garros.

He also has four US Open titles and has won both the Australian Open and Wimbledon twice. Nadal also won Olympic singles and doubles gold and helped Spain to five Davis Cup titles, most recently in 2019. IANS

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