After playing together at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal might team up at the 2024 Davis Cup Final 8 again, and the younger of the two would love the experience.
With the likes of Alcaraz and Nadal, Spain has the highest ambitions at the 2024 Davis Cup Final 8, running from November 19th to 24th in Malaga, Spain. It's been a while since Spain won the event, last lifting the trophy in 2019, and with the amount of talent they plan to bring, it shouldn't be completely ruled out.
Another important factor is that they will be the home team because the Final 8 competition will be played in Malaga. Therefore, there should be no lack of support for the Spanish team, especially with both Alcaraz and Nadal playing.
They joined forces earlier this year at the Olympics, and fans might see them playing together at the Davis Cup as well. While Spain's team has dedicated doubles specialists, the duo certainly wouldn't say no to a potential doubles match.
It almost happened at the Laver Cup as well because Alcaraz and Nadal were both set to compete in the tournament, but Nadal's late withdrawal robbed fans in Berlin of that experience.
The hope remains that they will join forces again at the Davis Cup, but ultimately it will likely all come down to Nadal's health. Alcaraz hopes that Nadal will be in Malaga as he hopes to draw experience from the legend who has won the competition in the past.
"Well, obviously it's always great having Rafa around. Yeah, I miss him. I'm not going to lie, I miss him in the Laver Cup. Obviously, as I said, as much time as I can spend with him, for me it's a privilege."
"He can bring a lot of experience to Davis Cup. For me it's going to be my first Davis Cup Final. It's going to be a great experience for me."
Alcaraz certainly wants to add his name to the list of players who won the Davis Cup, especially since he's considered the leader of the Spanish team. However, he also doesn't want to think about whether Nadal might retire at the Davis Cup, possibly in a doubles match with him.
"I don't want to think that it is a potential last dance for him in Malaga. I just want to think that I will trying to live or to enjoy his time around, to enjoy seeing him on court as much as I can. Obviously it is a great support having him in the team."
"Yeah, have the chance to spend more time off the court, on the court, as well, with him, it's going to be great for Team Spain and I think for the country, as well, that we're playing in Spain. Yeah, I gonna enjoy that time. Hopefully, it's not going to be the last time for him."
Winning won't be easy for Spain because a couple of other nations will bring really strong teams. Italy will be led by Jannik Sinner, for example, while the United States might have the strongest team on paper with a few really high-ranked players, such as Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton.
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