Every step that Rafa Nadal takes in Malaga breathes farewell, those feelings of the last times. The last concentration with his teammates, the last previous training sessions, the last dinners together… This Tuesday, he took another step towards this inexorable moment at the end of his career.
He appeared before the media in his final press conference before a match. Or the penultimate. Everything will depend on Spain’s victory in the first Davis Cup match against the Netherlands. This Tuesday he chaired the press conference, focused on the middle of the Spanish delegation. To his right, Alcaraz, who has already taken over, to his left, Ferrer, captain of the Davis Cup.
“There is no ideal goodbye. Film endings are reserved for American films. I realized a long time ago that I would not have such goodbyes. It will be what it will be. It would be great to have a competitive team. I don’t know how I can react if I ever play a game. I’ve played very little on the circuit for months. I prepare as much as possible to try to arrive as best as possible on the track. I don’t like to speculate. It will be what it should be. “I will try to do my best to make things go well,” begins the Spaniard.
Rafa gives priority to the collective rather than the individual. “I’m going to take full advantage of it, whether as a facilitator from outside or inside the track. It is a difficult competition due to the format and the course. A lot of people grew up watching me play and this stage is going to end. It is part of life itself. I will live it in the best possible way with the normality that I have experienced everything in my life. Without any excess.
Alcaraz assured, while playing in the ATP Finals in Turin, that it was more important to say goodbye to Rafa in the best possible way than the Davis Cup itself. Nadal focuses on Salad Bowl goal. “Farewells should not spark debate. Farewells will take place, there is no need to compare one thing with another. We are here to compete. The rest cannot distract us from what we came here for. Everything has a beginning and an end. I am convinced that for all of us, the important thing is the Davis Cup. When that comes, goodbyes will be said and an era will end for me.
“I live everything normally. I’m not on the roller coaster of emotions, I’ve been very accepting of everything. I am a sensitive person, but I tend to put the good and bad times into perspective. In the end, life goes on. All athletes go through these processes. I’m not exhausted from tennis. If I could, I would continue to play, but I don’t have the opportunity to play at a level that would reward me on a personal level. With the peace of mind and support of people who want the best for me, I made the decision I thought I had to make.
