Rafael Nadal has not been seen much on the professional tennis scene after his disappointing Olympic campaign in Paris. However, it has been revealed that the 22-time Grand Slam winner has confirmed his participation in the Davis Cup, which is set to be played later this year. Nadal confirmed his participation in the forthcoming Davis Cup with a four-word response to Spanish Davis Cup captain David Ferrer after learning about his opponent.
Novak Djokovic easily defeated Rafael Nadal in the singles competition at the Paris Games, and the pair—who were partnered with Carlos Alcaraz, the up-and-coming tennis star—failed to advance to the medal round in the doubles event. Nadal withdrew from the Laver Cup last month due to concerns about his physical health. Ferrer, though, is optimistic that the 38-year-old Spaniard will be prepared for the Davis Cup in November.
When the draw came out, I sent him a message and told him to prepare to play against Botic Van de Zandschulp. His answer was clear: ‘I will be ready’, Ferrer told the Spanish YouTube channel DGO. According to Ferrer, Nadal is expected to play a couple of events ahead of the Davis Cup to prove his fitness. He will play the Six Kings Slam this month, and I would like him to compete in another event before playing with the team. I will talk to him about it in the coming weeks, Ferrer added.
Nadal has mostly kept quiet about his physical state after withdrawing early from both Olympic competitions. But in a rare September interview, the tennis icon said he hoped to continue enjoying himself when playing the game with Spanish broadcaster El Hormiguero.
Nadal acknowledged that he missed most of the 2023 season as well as the beginning of this year. He explained that he intentionally took time off to recover and rekindle his passion for tennis. What I have done during all this time is to give myself a margin, to give myself the option to enjoy again, to play tennis after a year and a half away from the courts. And that’s what I’m doing, trying to enjoy every day, trying to do my best every day, Nadal said.
Meanwhile, top-ranked Jannik Sinner defeated Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-2 after trailing by one set at the Shanghai Masters. The 23-year-old Italian faced a far tougher third-round test against the No. 37-ranked Argentine inside Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena, which was forced to postpone play due to rain the night after winning his 250th career match in straight sets.
Next up for Sinner is either Spanish player Roberto Carballes Baena or No. 16-ranked Ben Shelton, who defeated the Italian in this same venue last year. In the opening set tiebreak, Etcheverry made the shot of the match with a breathtaking drop volley that gave him set point, which he converted to take the lead.
After trading breaks halfway through the second set, Sinner started to find his range more effectively and took advantage of another opportunity to tie the match. In the decider, Sinner gained the upper hand as he broke Etcheverry twice more to go ahead in 2 hours and 39 minutes.
Daniil Medvedev, ranked fifth, overcame Matteo Arnaldi in a thrilling 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 triumph to secure his fourth-round matchup against either Alexandre Muller or Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Italian claimed a close first set, forcing the 28-year-old Russian to dig deep to even the match. In the deciding set, Medvedev’s experience and composure came to the fore as he clinched a vital break in the ninth game and held firm to close out the match.
