Davis Cup ticker

Rafael Nadal’s last appearance? LIVE from 5 p.m.

(Bild: AP)

Is Rafael Nadal saying goodbye to the big tennis stage today? The former champion will face Dutchman Botic Van de Zandschulp in the Davis Cup final. We will be reporting live, see ticker below. Van de Zandschulp won the first set.

Here is the live ticker:

Malaga will host the Davis Cup Final 8 tournament from Tuesday. For the time being, the headlines will mainly belong to a man who is saying goodbye to the tennis stage: Rafael Nadal, one of the most successful athletes in the world, is saying adios. 

Rafael Nadal

(Bild: AFP)

"The team comes first and he shouldn't be impressed by the noise from outside. He has to do what's best for the team and that's what I want," Nadal made clear. "I want to help where I can, whether it's as a player or even just being here." Basically, he doesn't want to pay much attention to the hype surrounding him, the 38-year-old emphasized. "The emotions will come at the end. Before and after that, I will focus on my tasks." Nadal did know one thing: "My life will change a lot after this week."

Ticket boom
Tickets for the hosts' match against the Netherlands on Tuesday (17:00) sold out within a few hours. "We could have filled the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu," said tournament director Feliciano Lopez, referring to Real Madrid's soccer stadium, which holds around 80,000 spectators. There will only be around 11,300 spectators in Malaga, including stars from the worlds of sport, show and politics. Among others, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, who has already retired, have announced their attendance.

A "very special farewell" is planned. The difficulty is that nobody knows exactly when Nadal's last appearance will be. A big farewell for Spain's superstar, whose star also rose almost 20 years ago with a four-set victory over Andy Roddick in the Davis Cup final, can only take place after the home side's elimination or the title.

Spain against the Netherlands is the first quarter-final, while Germany, who will be without Alexander Zverev, will face Canada on Wednesday. The two winners will meet in the semi-finals. The quarter-finals between the USA and Australia and Italy and Argentina do not get underway until Thursday. The defending champions are fielding the newly crowned ATP Finals winner Jannik Sinner. Twelve months ago, the South Tyrolean led Italy to their first Davis Cup triumph in 47 years.