Rafael Nadal rejected a wild card for the 2024 Paris Masters, and the tournament director, Cedric Pioline, predicted the Spaniard will not play in the singles at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.
Competing in the Davis Cup and representing Spain means a lot to Nadal, regardless of any other circumstances. The 38-year-old has won four titles at the team event during his legendary career.
However, emotions will undoubtedly be running high at this year's Davis Cup Finals since it is Nadal's final event before retiring. Spain plays the Netherlands in the quarterfinal on November 19th.
After Nadal's appearance at the Six Kings Slam exhibition, where he played his final match against Novak Djokovic, some wondered whether he would play at the Paris Masters before the Davis Cup Finals.
The 14-time French Open champion did not get an opportunity to say a proper goodbye to Paris or Roland-Garros because he was unsure whether he would retire during his appearances at this year's French Open and Paris Olympics.
However, two factors probably stopped Nadal from retiring at next year's French Open. Firstly, playing at Roland-Garros twice in 2024 might have felt like a fitting finale, even though he did not achieve the results he wanted at the French Open or the Olympics.
Secondly, Nadal clearly does not believe he can reach the level that won him 14 titles at the French Open, and it would feel strange to see him be a shadow of his former self in his final appearance.
That made a farewell to the city of Paris at the Masters 1000 tournament possible, but Pioline previously confirmed that Nadal had not requested to play at the event.
Although the 22-time Grand Slam winner showed some positive signs in defeats against Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz at the Six Kings Slam, it is uncertain whether he will play in the singles at the Davis Cup Finals.
Nadal is very likely to renew his doubles partnership with Alcaraz from the Olympics at the Finals, but Pioline told the media houses at the Paris Masters that he expects the legendary Spaniard to only play in the doubles in Malaga next month.
“It’s hard to know whether he feels he’s performing well and whether he thinks he can bring something to the table. From what I know of him, I’m of the opinion that he’ll only play the doubles to take his leave and not jeopardize the team’s result for his personal need to say goodbye."
"There’s a form of risk (in not playing before) but he knows himself well, he has a whole team and I think it’s clear in his head. The less we play, the less rhythm we have. The less rhythm you have, the less confidence you have."
"What’s certain is that with all his injuries in two years, others would have thrown in the towel sooner. To his credit, he hung in there and chose when and where to call it a day. That’s priceless."
Although it would have been nice to watch Nadal in Paris one final time, his prioritizing of the Davis Cup Finals on home soil to mark the end of his career is understandable.
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