Rafael Nadal has been selected to play singles for Spain in the Davis Cup Final 8 against the Netherlands, marking his last event before retirement. The lineups for both countries were revealed just an hour before their quarterfinal match on Day 1 of the competition at the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena in Malaga, Spain.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion, aged 38, will face the 80th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp in the opening singles match. Following Nadal's match, Spain's No. 3 player, Carlos Alcaraz, will compete against the Netherlands' No. 40 player, Tallon Griekspoor. Nadal holds an impressive record of 29 consecutive Davis Cup singles victories, despite not having played an official match in over 3 1/2 months.
If the series is tied at 1-1 after the singles matches, Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers will team up against Van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof in the doubles match to determine the advancing team to the semifinals.
The Dutch captain, Paul Haarhuis, expressed his admiration for Nadal, acknowledging that it might be the tennis legend's final match and hoping to bid him a fitting farewell.
All matches at the Davis Cup are best-of-three sets. The lead-up to the event has been filled with tributes to Nadal, including a heartfelt message from his longtime rival and friend, Roger Federer.
Nadal and Alcaraz were seen practicing together ahead of the matches. Despite speculation, neither Spain's captain, David Ferrer, nor Nadal confirmed whether Nadal would participate in singles, doubles, or both against the Dutch team.
Nadal, who announced his retirement last month, emphasized his focus on helping the team succeed in his final week of team competition. He expressed that while emotions will come later, his priority is supporting the team.
The winner of the Spain-Netherlands quarterfinal will face either Canada or Germany in the semifinals on Friday, with the championship match set for Sunday.
Nadal boasts an impressive 29-1 record in Davis Cup singles matches, with his only loss dating back to his debut in 2004. Alcaraz described the upcoming matches as emotional, recognizing the significance of Nadal's final moments on the court.
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