Feliciano Lopez He will also miss Rafael Nadal, who is living his last moments as a tennis professional and who will have his farewell party in just three weeks, in Malaga (November 19 to 24), in this team competition that closes the perfect circle and in which it would debut on the 19th against the Netherlands.
Miguel Diazpresident of the Tennis Federation, recovered the memory of this tournament in the history of national tennis: «Spain is the most successful country of the 21st century. In 2000 it was won for the first time, 2004, 2008, 2011 and 2019, with those circumstances that seemed negative: on a fast track and indoors. It took us 80 years to win the first one, but it is very difficult: 80% of the countries have never won it. Italy, for example, won its second Salad Bowl last year after 50 years.
He also recalled how the format has evolved, which for the moment has been going very well for Spain, since the finals are held on national territory, although the option of choosing the surface has been lost. And for this 2024 edition, he commented: «We have a great team, with a great captain like David. We have a great opportunity to win the seventh, which would be a bomb. When we broke the news that Rafa was coming, before he announced his farewell, he was already extolling the team and the final. “We are very excited that he can say goodbye with that title.”
«Negotiation for Nadal to come and say goodbye here, none. It is a very thoughtful decision. We are very lucky in Spain, and also for Malaga, which is a very big prize. This will be the third year that the finals are held there and it is a reward for having bet, when few people believed. A series of things have happened this year and have made me make this decision. The nice thing is that this event was at the end of the season, in their country, and it was perfect. We couldn’t be happier that Nadal has decided to retire here. He loves to play in teams and especially likes it. For a captain like David Ferrer, a legend, having Rafa and Carlos Alcaraz on the team is a unique thing. It is not very common for world number 1 tennis players to emerge for so many years. It is Rafa’s retirement, but having them both is a gift for David and for everyone. “Anyone could dream of a team like this.”
Feliciano López also spoke about the change in surfaces and also about the Davis Cup. «There have been many format changes and we continue to listen to the players to adapt the competition to current tennis. After Kosmos, the International Federation took over and it was not the time for more changes, but rather to look for the best possible format. It is a centenary competition, and the new format came in because there was a main problem: the best did not give it the priority it deserved. There were four qualifying rounds a year and it was too much. It was changed at the end of the year, in only one round, in 2019. Something very nice was removed from this competition: that the host chose the court on which they played, and that for many countries it was important to play at home so that the fans could See your tennis players. That changes, but this new way also has its problems, and the pandemic arrived the following year. In 2021, with fewer teams (8), it is decided that a group stage will be played in September to reach the final in November. Another change. And we prefer not to make changes again for the moment.
«The decision that has been made is to return to a part of before: return to other qualifying rounds: February and September, removing that group stage; and maintain the final eight, which we found to be working well. Last year Spain was not there and it was equally a success. We are going a little more towards the old format so that it can be recovered so that it can be played in different countries, and to recover the prestige that the great players who have competed give you: last year there were Djokovic and Sinner. “They love playing for their country, you have to make things easy for them,” López explained about the small changes they have tried to make without changing too much to maintain the dynamic.
There are several cities that have already requested to host next year: Valencia, among them. And the idea is that, if it is not during the Davis Cup final itself, it will be a little later when it is confirmed where the 2025 finals will be held. «If they remain in Europe it is positive because the players are very tired and after Taking a transoceanic trip to Turin is not ideal, but all cities have options,” explained López, who loves that the two circuits are mixed, as will happen in this Davis Cup, with the Billie Jean King Cup from November 12 to 20, also in Malaga, overlapping so that you can fully enjoy tennis, with the best players in world tennis.
“We have a very good team; Paula Badosa’s end to the season has been spectacular; the doubles team won bronze in Paris 2024 and also won in Madrid. Iga Swiatek has said that she wants to play against us, and she will make it a little more difficult, but There is a very good team. Tennis equates the prizes between men and women in most of its tournaments; the Grand Slams and the 1,000 tournaments already do it and that the team competitions, Davis and Bilie Jean King do it now is a good thing. We all have to move forward in this sense; women’s sports must be equated with men’s sports in all sports,” said Díaz.
“We would fill five football stadiums”
There were also words about Nadal’s withdrawal. «Nadal’s impact worldwide is that he is the best. Not only because he has won on the track, but because of the values he gives to society. That has made everyone love him so much, even though he has his detractors. The image that Spanish sport has given at an international level is brutal. That’s why I consider him the best athlete,” Díaz commented. «I don’t want to disparage any other Spanish athlete, but the debate should not exist, and not because he is a tennis player or my friend. His achievements cannot be compared with any other, and there have been very good ones. We are not going to go into all the legacy he leaves, which is on par with what he has achieved on the track. The thing is that they are different levels from anything that has existed in Spain. 22 Grand Slam, 14 Roland Garros, it will not happen again that someone on an individual level wins 14 times. There is still no one comparable to Rafa on a sporting level. The debate dilutes reality: in terms of achievements, no one has achieved what Rafa has achieved. Beyond the emotions, which it has provoked in many people; Things have happened with him, with people, that have never happened,” López admitted.
So the flood of requests for tickets for the Davis Cup made the Federation president’s phone full: «We would fill five football stadiums. People want to see Nadal’s last dance. It’s a shame that we don’t have more capacity because we would surely fill it up, I don’t know if they could put more stands, with windows on the outside. It is an incredible expectation. First with the participation and then when he announced that he was retiring.
López confirmed it: «When Rafa announces that it will be his last tournament as a professional, I have lived his career and I knew it, you realize how far his career has transcended. Everyone wants to be there, from Spain and abroad, from all areas. And that’s what I emphasize: everyone wants to be there, even if it’s playing or being part of the team. That will depend on the circumstances in Malaga. It has spread throughout the world. His retirement is the sporting event of recent times. The people of the organization have realized that What Rafa generates is absolute madness, and there will be no one like him. When the level of requests worldwide reaches so high, that’s when you realize how far their figure reaches.
«I don’t have the guest part or I would be completely crazy by now. Novak Djokovic said publicly that he wanted to be there, that he didn’t want to miss it. I wanted to say goodbye to Rafa while being present. You also have to get the day you go right: we don’t know if Rafa is going to play or not. They will have to decide whether to go to the first day or not. Roger Federer has not told me personally, although I understand that he wants to go see him. Everyone wants to be present, from the world of sports and outside. I understand the interest of athletes who have lived with him or feel inspired or consider that his figure is very important to them. First I hope that Rafa has the opportunity to say goodbye playing, and that Malaga, Spain and the ITF are up to the task for the farewell he deserves.
Nadal, a shadow so tall that he wonders if he can harm the next possible national tennis legend, Carlos Alcaraz. That is why López asks for calm: «Although he has not shared part of his generation because in recent years he has not been able to play due to physical problems, but for Carlos it has been his greatest source of inspiration. He is making his way, and his numbers are brutal at his age. But ten years from now many things can happen. That’s what I highlight about Nadal, Federer and Djokovic; It is one thing to do it for three or four years, and another to do it fifteen years. Carlos has the qualities and everything, but I don’t dare say what can happen in the career of an athlete with that demand. There are real chances of it reaching those numbers, and it wouldn’t surprise me, but it’s too early to say. And comparisons, although sometimes inevitable, are not necessary. «We are going to enjoy, I hope the injuries never come to him, because we can expect a lot of things. It is almost impossible for another Spanish tennis player to emerge after winning for fifteen years. “In a sport as complicated as tennis.” “It’s a miracle, and even more so in Spain,” López said.
And what would the Davis Cup director want for that final? «To order, the dream menu would be an Italy-Spain, with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. AND where Rafa can contribute to one of the three points to achieve it. It is the dream of Feliciano Lópezas a fan and director of Davis. Spain arrives very well, but in three sets and indoors, everything is very close. Many eliminatory matches go to the doubles match, which is always very close. On all sides we have a great team: the best in the world, which has been in the top three all year (Alcaraz); a number 2, which will presumably be Roberto Bautista, who is coming off a great level, with experience in Davis Cup; and a doubles at the level of the best. “We are in the group of favorites and we arrive at a great moment, as a number, to compete everything.”
#Feliciano #López #Nadals #retirement #sporting #event #times
