Tennis legend Rafael Nadal is set to retire from the sport at this week’s Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, Spain.
The Davis Cup Finals will be held from November 19 to 24 with the 38-year-old Nadal’s Spain set to face the Netherlands in the quarterfinals on the opening day.
Nadal had announced last month that the men’s team competition was going to be his last event. “I’m here to let you know I’m retiring from professional tennis,” he stated. “The last few years, especially the last two, have been tough. I don’t think I’ve been able to play without limitations.”
The Spaniard won 92 titles in his career, spanning over more than two decades. Out of those 92, 22 were Majors. However, before winning his maiden Slam at Roland Garros in 2005, Nadal had already come into the spotlight courtesy his performance at the Davis Cup.
While he lost to Czechia’s Jiri Novak on his Davis Cup debut in 2004, he went on to beat Radek Stepanek and Arnaud Clement in his next two matches. But the then 18-year-old grabbed the global audience when he defeated Andy Roddick 6-7(6), 6-2, 7-6(6), 6-2 in Spain’s 3-2 win over USA in the final.
He was also a member of Spain’s title-winning campaigns in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2019.
Thus, his decision to retire at the Davis Cup feels like his career has come full circle.
Till date, the loss to Novak remains Nadal’s only defeat in 30 singles rubbers at Davis Cup. He has also played eight doubles rubbers and won four of them.
Rafael Nadal’s Davis Cup matches
2004 - World Group, 1st Round - Spain vs Czechia (Spain won 3-2)
1st Singles - Lost 6-7(2), 3-6, 6-7(3) to Jiri Novak
Doubles - Beat Novak & Radek Stepanek 6-4, 7-6(6), 6-3 with Tommy Robredo
Reverse Singles - Beat Stepanek 7-6(2), 7-6(4), 6-3
2004 - World Group, Quarterfinal - Spain vs Netherlands (Spain won 4-1)
Doubles - Lost 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 2-6, 2-6 with Robredo to Martin Verkerk & John Van Lottum
2004 - World Group, Semifinal - Spain vs France (Spain won 4-1)
Doubles - Beat Arnaud Clement & Michael Llodra 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 with Robredo
2004 - World Group, Final - Spain vs USA (Spain won 3-2)
2nd Singles - Beat Andy Roddick 6-7(6), 6-2, 7-6(6), 6-2
2005 - World Group, 1st Round - Spain vs Slovakia (Slovakia won 4-1)
Doubles - Lost 6-7(3), 4-6, 6-7(8) with Albert Costa to Karol Beck & Michal Mertinak
2005 - World Group, Play-Off - Spain vs Italy (Spain won 3-2)
1st Singles - Beat Daniele Bracciali 6-3, 6-2, 6-1
Doubles - Lost 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 6-4, 7-9 with Feliciano Lopez to Bracciali & Giorgio Galimberti
Reverse Singles - Beat Andreas Seppi 6-1, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4
2006 - World Group, Play-Off - Spain vs Italy (Spain won 4-1)
2nd Singles - Beat Seppi 6-0, 6-4, 6-3
Doubles - Beat Bracciali & Galimberti 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) with Fernando Verdasco
Reverse Singles - Beat Filippo Volandri 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-3
2008 - World Group, Quarterfinal - Spain vs Germany (Spain won 4-1)
1st Singles - Beat Nicolas Kiefer 7-6(5), 6-0, 6-3
2008 - World Group, Semifinal - Spain vs USA (Spain won 4-1)
1st Singles - Beat Sam Querrey 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3, 6-4
Reverse Singles - Beat Roddick 6-4, 6-0, 6-4
2009 - World Group, 1st Round - Spain vs Serbia (Spain won 4-1)
2nd Singles - Beat Janko Tipsarevic 6-1, 6-0, 6-2
Reverse Singles - Beat Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-1
2009 - World Group, Final - Spain vs Czechia (Spain won 5-0)
1st Singles - Beat Tomas Berdych 7-5, 6-0, 6-2
Reverse Singles - Beat Jan Hajek 6-3, 6-4
2011 - World Group, 1st Round - Spain vs Belgium (Spain won 4-1)
2nd Singles - Beat Ruben Bemelmans 6-2, 6-4, 6-2
Reverse Singles - Beat Olivier Rochus 6-4, 6-2
2011 - World Group, Semifinal - Spain vs France (Spain won 4-1)
1st Singles - Beat Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-0, 6-1
Reverse Singles - Beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-0, 6-2, 6-4
2011 - World Group, Final - Spain vs Argentina (Spain won 3-1)
1st Singles - Beat Juan Monaco 6-1, 6-1, 6-2
Reverse Singles - Beat Juan Martin del Potro 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-6(0)
2013 - World Group, Play-Off - Spain vs Ukraine (Spain won 5-0)
2nd Singles - Beat Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-0, 6-0, 6-4
Doubles - Beat Denys Molchanov & Stakhovsky 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-4 with Feliciano Lopez
2015 - Group I, Quarterfinal - Spain vs Denmark (Spain won 5-0)
1st Singles - Beat Mikael Torpegaard 6-4, 6-3, 6-2
Doubles - Beat Thomas Kromann & Frederik Nielsen 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 with Verdasco
2016 - World Group, Play-Off - Spain vs India (Spain won 5-0)
Doubles - Beat Leander Paes & Saketh Myneni 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-4 with Marc Lopez
2018 - World Group, Quarterfinal - Spain vs Germany (Spain won 3-2)
2nd Singles - Beat Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-2, 6-2, 6-3
Reverse Singles - Beat Alexander Zverev 6-1, 6-4, 6-4
2019 - Group Stage - Spain vs Russia (Spain won 2-1)
2nd Singles - Beat Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6(7)
2019 - Group Stage - Spain vs Croatia (Spain won 3-0)
2nd Singles - Beat Borna Gojo 6-4, 6-3
Doubles - Beat Ivan Dodig & Mate Pavic 6-3, 6-4 with Marcel Granollers
2019 - Quarterfinal - Spain vs Argentina (Spain won 2-1)
2nd Singles - Beat Diego Schwartzman 6-1, 6-2
Doubles - Beat Maximo Gonzalez & Leonardo Mayer 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 with Granollers
2019 - Semifinal - Spain vs Great Britain (Spain won 2-1)
2nd Singles - Beat Daniel Evans 6-4, 6-0
Doubles - Beat Jamie Murray & Neal Skupski 7-6(3), 7-6(8) with Feliciano Lopez
2019 - Final - Spain vs Canada (Spain won 2-0)
2nd Singles - Beat Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 7-6(7)
