Rafa Nadal crosses the tunnel of a Martin Carpena in which he has just played his last match as a professional tennis player and with him disappears more than two decades of biting metal. A 23-year journey during which Spanish tennis has enjoyed good health. In 2004, when Rafa made his debut for Spain in Davis Cupthe pulse has reached historic highs.
Carlos Moyá, Tommy Robredo, Feliciano López, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Fernando Verdasco, David Ferrer, Nadal himself, Albert Costa, Alberto Martín, David Sánchez, Alex Calatrava, Óscar Hernández and Albert Montañés. Those 13 names were in the top 100 of the ATP rankings at the end of the aforementioned year. Six of them make up the top 50 and Rafa, in 51st place, is right on his heels.
It was a tennis boom time for Spain, both on the tour and at Davis. And players like Nico Almagro, who has always played, had not yet appeared. More than two decades later, the situation has reversed. Now only six Spanish rackets make up the top 100 and only Alcaraz, third, is among the top 40 places. The considerable reduction inevitably causes efforts to focus on a smaller group.
Especially in a doll, that of Alcaraz, who is aware of it. “It was great for me to compete in Davis. It’s a chance to live the era of Rafa, Federer, Djokovic. They are not from this planet. But they have left many people with the illusion of seeing what will happen.and if those of us who are there, the young people, do not reach this level, it will be a frustration or a disappointment for the world of tennis”, warns Carlitos, who clearly knows how to rise to the challenge.
Davis diagnoses shortage
“I’ll try to take it that way. I try to give the best of myself day after day. Rafa leaves satisfied having given everything. And that’s what I’m going to try to do. I will try to be the best person and the best player that I can be day in and day out, and we will see if at the end of my career I have accomplished half of what he has, I will leave more than happy. It will be very difficult to follow what these beasts have done,” concluded the Murcian.
This year only Bautista, in the latter part of the season, and Alcaraz managed to play metal. The problem gets worse if it extends to the number of finalistsonly Nadal in Bastad and Carballés in Marrakech and extends to women’s tennis in which only Badosa has reached the final of a tournament this season. That of Washington, which ultimately won.
The situation is not completely rehabilitated by the new generation of rackets. Only Martín Landaluce and Rafa Jódar, respectively US Open champions of June 2022 and 2024, appear as medium-term options. At 18, they still have time to burn before reaching the ATP middle class.
“Obviously, the US Junior Open is motivation, but nothing extraordinary. In the end, it’s a junior tournament, you have to continue to work every day. My goal is to become a tennis player and I will work hard and do everything I can to achieve that,” Jódar said after his victory in New York. Squires wanted for Spanish tennis.
