Team Spain confirms Rafael Nadal will play Dutch Botic van de Zandschulp at the Davis Cup Finals
Team Spain confirmed that Rafael Nadal will play against Botic Van de Zandschulp in the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup.
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Rafael Nadal and Botic Van de Zandschulp (via Olympics/AD)
Rafael Nadal is in the final stage of his career and will wave goodbye to tennis at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga. He is hoping to sign off with a sixth title at the tournament to add to his 22 Grand Slams.
The 38-year-old is set to face Dutch star Botic van de Zandschulp in the quarterfinals on Tuesday (November 19). Since Nadal arrived in Malaga, there have been questions about whether he will be fit to represent Spain at the Davis Cup.
Nadal has not been in the best physical conditions since this season and has only played nineteen matches this year. He has only posted twelve wins at the tour level this season.
The 14-time Roland Garros champion last played in a competitive tournament at the Paris Olympics, where he exited in the second round of the singles and in the quarterfinals of the doubles. Despite that, Spain’s captain David Ferrer has placed his faith in Nadal.
The Spaniard will face Dutch star Botic Van de Zandschulp in the second quarterfinal match. Carlos Alcaraz is expected to lead the Spanish team and will face Tallon Griekspoor in the first match. Meanwhile, Pedro Martinez and Marcel Granollers will pair up against Wesley Koohlof and Griekspoor in the doubles.
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— rafael_nadal_by_hippo (@rnbyhippo22) November 19, 2024
Rafa will play the first single match for Team España not before 5:00 pm (local time) in their quarterfinal match of the Davis Cup against the Netherlands ! pic.twitter.com/AyXJVrVazK
Nadal has one of the best records in the Davis Cup. The four-time champion holds a 20-1 record in the singles and his only loss came on his debut in 2004 against Czech Republic’s Jiri Novak. Since then, he has won 29 consecutive matches and also holds an 8-4 record in the doubles of the competition.
Botic van de Zandschulp aims to spoil Rafael Nadal’s farewell party
Rafael Nadal is expected to have a deserving farewell at the Davis Cup Finals. Botic van de Zandschulp, ahead of his tie against the Spaniard, has stated that he was looking forward to a special atmosphere for the contest.
The Dutch star played a major role in Netherlands quarterfinals qualification after his lone victory gave the team an edge over Belgium despite losing 1-2. At the US Open, he caused the biggest upset of the event by beating Carlos Alcaraz.
Rafa retiring here of course brings something special to the occasion. I’m really looking forward to the tie. It will be something special. Let’s see how the madness is going to be.
Botic van de Zandschulp said (via Japan Times)
Nadal and Van de Zandschulp have met twice in their careers, with the former leading 2-0 in their head-to-head meetings. However, they have not faced each other since 2022.
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Victor Okechukwu
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