FUENGIROLA – Neither Rafael Nadal nor Spain captain David Ferrer would say on Monday whether the 22-time Grand Slam champion would play in Davis Cup Final 8his last test before retirement.

Spain is due to face the Netherlands in the quarter-finals on Tuesday on a hard indoor court at the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena in Malaga. The winner will play in the semi-finals on Friday. The championship will be decided on Sunday.

At a team press conference held at a hotel in Fuengirola, about 20 kilometers south of the competition venue, Nadal was asked how he was feeling in training in recent days and whether he was ready to play.

“That’s a question for the captain,” Nadal replied, making Ferrer, seated to the left of the star player, laugh.

Moments later, Ferrer was asked about Nadal’s participation.

“I don’t know yet,” Ferrer said. “At the moment I have not decided which players will play tomorrow.”

Nadal is 29-1 in his career in Davis Cup singles, and 8-4 in doubles.

There will be two singles matches and one doubles match in the best-of-three match between Spain and the Netherlands. Nadal could appear only in singles, only in doubles – perhaps alongside Carlos Alcaraz, his partner at this year’s Paris Olympics – in both, or not at all.

It’s up to Ferrer to decide.

There’s a reason, though, why the 9,200-capacity arena is sold out on Tuesday: It could be the last chance to see Nadal play a match that matters.

“His last moments on the field will probably be super special. Not (just) for me, but for everyone,” Alcaraz said. “For me, for the team and for everyone here in Spain, it’s going to be an emotional day.”

Monday represented the first opportunity for Nadal, 38, to answer journalists’ questions and explain his decision in detail. announced last monthto move away from tennis after the Davis Cup.

Nadal has faced a series of injuries over the past two seasons and has been limited to just 23 official singles matches during that span; that includes a 12-7 record this year.

“I’m not here to retire. I’m here to help the team win. It’s my last week in a team competition and the most important thing is to help the team. The emotions will come later ” Nadal said, wearing the team’s red polo shirt with a small red and yellow Spanish flag on the left sleeve.

“I’m enjoying the week. I don’t pay too much attention to retirement,” Nadal said. “It will be a big change in my life after this week.”

Nadal said it “doesn’t make sense to continue knowing that I don’t have a real chance to be competitive the way I like to be because my body” doesn’t allow it.

“OK, I can last another year. But why? Say goodbye to each tournament? I don’t have that ego to need that,” Nadal said, adding that he had “been thinking for a long time” about retiring.

He hasn’t played a real match since the Olympics in early August. Nadal lost in the second round of singles against Novak Djokovic there, then in the quarter-finals of double alongside Alcaraz.

“I tried to prepare as hard as possible for the last month and a half. I’m trying to do my best for this event,” Nadal said. “When you don’t compete as often, it’s difficult to maintain the level consistently. But the improvement is there every day. I believe that.”

Besides Nadal and Alcaraz, the Spanish Davis Cup team includes Marcel Granollers, Roberto Bautista Agut and Pedro Martinez.

As they all filed out of the hotel conference room at the end of the question-and-answer session, Alcaraz put his right hand on Nadal’s left shoulder and whispered something.

They could share a field one last time this week. Or maybe they won’t. It’s not sure yet. What is clear is that Nadal will soon know for certain that his career is over.

What will he miss the most?

“I mean, probably the feeling of competition, (going) on ​​the court and seeing the fans there, the atmosphere when you play big matches,” Nadal said. “And at the end of the day, it’s about the adrenaline you feel before, at the end and during the match.”

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AP Sports Writer Tales Azzoni in Madrid contributed to this report.

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AP Tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis