The Davis Cup finals will run from November 19 to 24; it could be Rafael Nadal's final event after he previously suggesting the current season would be his last; Great Britain were eliminated in September after Dan Evans was defeated by Canada's Denis Shapovalov
Monday 23 September 2024 20:16, UK
Rafael Nadal has been included in Spain's squad for the Davis Cup finals in Malaga, which could be his farewell event.
Nadal - who has won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, including 14 at the French Open - has previously suggested the current season would be his last.
The 38-year-old has not played since the Paris Olympics, where he reached the quarter-finals of the men's doubles alongside Carlos Alcaraz, and subsequently withdrew from the US Open and last week's Laver Cup in Berlin.
World No 3 Alcaraz is also in the Spain team named by captain David Ferrer, alongside Roberto Bautista Agut, Pablo Carreno and Marcel Granollers.
"He [Nadal] told me about his desire to be in Malaga if we qualify," Ferrer said at the Spanish team press conference on Monday.
"Everything was very easy because it was he who from the beginning wanted to be in the finals.
"There are still two months left and all the players who are on the list have to compete and see how they are, but the good thing is that there are many possibilities to combine doubles depending on physical exhaustion or how the tie is going."
The Davis Cup finals will run from November 19 to 24, with Spain - looking to win the event for the first time since 2019 - set to face the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.
Defending champions Italy, led by world No 1 Jannik Sinner, take on Argentina, while the United States face Australia and Germany will meet Canada.
Great Britain were eliminated from the Davis Cup after Dan Evans was beaten 6-0, 7-5 by Denis Shapovalov in the first match of their final group-stage contest against Canada in September.
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