Rafael Nadal admitted that his current level of performance probably doesn’t warrant selection even if Spain progress in the Davis Cup.
Nadal fell to a straight-sets defeat in Spain’s quarter-final clash with the Netherlands in what could prove the final match of his illustrious career.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion will officially retire after the tournament and was picked by captain David Ferrer to lead out his side in the opening match in Malaga.
But he was unable to summon his best tennis in his first competitive outing since the Paris Olympics in July, eventually failing to a 6-4 6-4 defeat against World No. 80 Botic van de Zandschulp.
Carlos Alcaraz levelled up the encounter after a win against Tallon Griekspoor and the World No.3 – alongside Marcel Granollers – will now look to guide his nation through to the final four in the doubles decider against Dutch duo Van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof.
Should Spain win, captain Ferrer would face a headache as to whether to select Nadal again just three days later given his long-documented fitness issues and lack of match sharpness.
And Nadal has suggested that he wouldn’t pick himself if he was current based on his current form.
‘I practised quite well. David [Ferrer] was confident that I was the player to play,’ he said after his defeat.
‘I tried to help the team to put a win out there, but was not possible. Just didn’t work. Probably the easy move and maybe the right move is to change.
‘If I would be the captain, probably I will change. If we go through, that’s my feeling. But at the end, is not my decision, and I’m sure that he will make the best decision possible for the team.’
Nadal, though, was clear not to rule himself out entirely. ‘I would play every match if I could,’ he added.
In front of a partisan and rowdy crowd in Malaga, Nadal was visibly emotional as the national anthem rung out before his match and gave little away in the opening stages.
However, the ageing veteran soon began to show signs of his restricted movement around the court and, with Van de Zandschulp growing into the encounter, the 38-year-old was eventually broken to give the Dutchman a 5-4 lead in the first set.
Van de Zandschulp made no mistake, serving out the final game to wrap up the first set before breaking Nadal’s serve immediately again at the start of the second set.
The 29-year-old threatened to run away with the contest when he broke for a third time in the contest to take a 4-1 lead in the second set.
However, Nadal fought back valiantly, creating a host of opportunities before breaking straight back in the following game.
Ultimately, though, the Dutchman would hold his nerve, serving out his final two games to silence the home crowd and claim a huge victory.
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