Rafael Nadal makes brutal Davis Cup selection admission after opening loss
Rafael Nadal has admitted that he “wouldn’t choose” himself to play in further Davis Cup singles rubbers after a difficult loss to Botic van de Zandschulp on Tuesday night.
Former world No 1 Nadal could well have played the last match of his career following a 6-4, 6-4 loss to van de Zandschulp, which put Spain 1-0 down in their Davis Cup quarter-final against the Netherlands.
Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, is retiring at the end of this event and will need Spain to win both of the remaining two rubbers to have a chance of playing a semi-final on Friday.
However, speaking following his straight-sets loss, he admitted that he would select another player to contest singles action if he were in the shoes of captain David Ferrer.
He said: “I may only have a few hours left as a player, I hope not, but I am not the captain and he is the one who makes the decisions he thinks are best for the team.
“I said that if I did not feel ready I would be ruled out, but that has not been the case. I think I have trained well enough to play. I have just not been able to perform as I would have liked.
“After the match, I hope we go through and there is another opportunity, but if I were David, I would put another player in.”
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Defeat for Nadal was just a second singles loss in the Davis Cup for the 38-year-old, and just a sixth in the team event across singles and doubles.
Playing in doubles could be a possibility for him should Spain rally and progress to the last four, though Nadal admitted he was unsure as to what decision could be made.
“One thing is what I want to do and another is what I think is best for the team. What I want sometimes doesn’t match what is best for the team,” he added.
“I was not sure how I would respond in competition, since I haven’t played for months. In training I had worked well. When I say that it’s not because I don’t want to.
“I hope I can continue and I will work to be eligible, whether in singles or doubles. Given what I’ve seen of my level in competition, if I were the captain I wouldn’t choose me.
“It’s a different thing. I say what I think would be best for the team. If on Friday, David tells me that I have to go out, I will do so with the utmost enthusiasm.”
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