Rafael Nadal is set to be honored during his retirement event.
The Davis Cup Finals tournament director has revealed plans to commemorate Rafael Nadal’s career with a ceremony.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion will retire from men’s tennis during the World Cup later this month, representing Spain.
Nadal will already be surrounded by teammates and competitors from his team. However, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have also planned to attend his goodbye.
After missing the majority of the last two years due to injury, Rafael Nadal will officially retire from professional tennis at the forthcoming Davis Cup Finals.
It will be a fitting farewell for the former number one, who has helped Spain win the championship four times. Nadal will have one last chance to represent his country on home turf during Finals Week in Malaga.
And organisers want to properly honour him as he formally retires. While he will not go into detail, tournament director Feliciano Lopez confirmed that there will be a proper homage to Nadal.
“It’s confidential of course, but we’re planning to do something very special for him, we have to celebrate his career and his legacy,” the then-world No. 12 explained.
“We have a lot of plans, but I can’t share any more details with you right now, but we’re planning something extremely unique. We will attempt to live up to his legacy and great career.”
However, tournament organizers must ensure that the ceremony occurs at the appropriate time. Spain will meet the Netherlands in the quarterfinals on November 19. If they win, they will play their semi-final on the 22nd, and the final on the 24th.
Lopez does not want to disrupt the Spanish squad in the midst of the competition, and he knows Nadal will not want to jeopardize his team’s chances.
The tournament director continued, “It’s really difficult, because the most essential thing is, and Rafa has been very clear, not to do anything that could harm the team.
“The priority is Spain. We’ll do something after his participation ends, but we’re not sure when. We’ll have everything planned, but we’ll decide on the timing as we go.”
However, when the time comes, some of Nadal’s strongest competitors want to be there to watch him retire.
Djokovic earlier announced his trip to Malaga in an Instagram post. He wrote, “I wish you the best farewell in Malaga with the Davis Cup squad of Spain. I’ll be there in person to honor your excellent work.”
Lopez also indicated that Murray was interested in joining them. “Novak Djokovic posted on Instagram that he wants to be there, also Andy Murray wants to be there,” the Spaniard commented.
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