Nadal's Absence From Deciding Doubles Match At Davis Cup Explained By Captain

The decision to pick Rafael Nadal in the singles but not the doubles in Spain's Davis Cup Finals quarterfinal against the Netherlands was controversial. Spanish captain David Ferrer explained the move afterward.

Nadal, who announced last month he would retire after the Davis Cup Finals, was chosen to play in the opening match of the quarterfinal tie against the Netherlands. He faced Botic van de Zandschulp, who shocked Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open in August.

The atmosphere in Malaga was electric. Nadal received vociferous applause and cheers after every point he won, but there were also plenty of Dutch fans in the crowd supporting van de Zandschulp.

Although there were some flashes of his past brilliance, Nadal never came close to reaching the level he possessed that secured his place as one of the three greatest players ever, alongside Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

A calm and composed van de Zandschulp defeated Nadal 6-4, 6-4. As always, the 38-year-old's effort could not have been any higher, but his movement, in particular, has sharply declined compared to where it was two years ago when he won the 2022 French Open.

At that stage, Nadal did not know if he had played his final match. Carlos Alcaraz's defeat of Tallon Griekspoor kept Spain's chances of making the semifinal and prolonging Nadal's career alive.

Sadly for all those who wanted to see the 14-time French Open champion win the Davis Cup for a fifth time, Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers lost 6-7, 6-7, to Wesley Koolhof and van de Zandschulp, sending Nadal into retirement.

Spain's early exit at the Davis Cup quarterfinals naturally raises questions about whether Nadal should have played in the singles. Roberto Bautista Agut, a strong indoor hardcourt player, was another very good option.

Some question Ferrer's decision not to partner Nadal with Alcaraz in the doubles. The high-profile pair played together at the Olympics. They gelled pretty well as a team, and only an excellent performance from Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek stopped them in the quarterfinal.

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Others argue that it is easy to speak with hindsight and picking Granollers, the world No. 4 in doubles, with Spain's No. 1 singles player was an entirely understandable move.

Ferrer spoke about his decisions in the press conference after Spain was eliminated. He picked Nadal in singles based on his recent improvement in practice but admitted it had not been easy to choose.

Although Nadal insisted before the tie that Ferrer do what was in the team's interests, it was hard for the captain not to pick the retired Spaniard in the singles because of the Davis Cup format.

If Spain or the Netherlands had taken an unassailable 2-0 lead, the doubles match would not have been played. That means fans who paid to see Nadal would have gone home disappointed if he had only been picked for the doubles and not the singles.

Realistically, there was never any possibility of Ferrer making himself that unpopular. Whether he should have chosen Nadal for the doubles is a more nuanced debate.

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