Rafael Nadal will play Davis Cup singles for Spain against the Netherlands ahead of retirement

By Howard Fendrich, The Associated Press on November 19, 2024.

Spain's tennis player Rafael Nadal attends a training session in Malaga, southern Spain, on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

MALAGA, Spain (AP) – Rafael Nadal was picked to play singles for Spain against the Netherlands on Tuesday at the Davis Cup Final 8, the 22-time Grand Slam champion’s last event before he retires.

The lineups for both countries were announced about an hour before their quarterfinal was scheduled to begin on Day 1 of competition on an indoor hard court at the sold-out Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena in southern Spain.

The 38-year-old Nadal will face 80th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp in the opening singles match, before No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain goes up against No. 40 Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands. Nadal has won 29 Davis Cup singles matches in a row.

If the best-of-three-match series is tied at 1-all after singles, Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers will meet Van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof in doubles to determine which team advances to the semifinals.

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