MALAGA – Rafael Nadal is preparing to retire from professional tennis after one last event: he will be part of The Spanish team at the Davis Cup final which begin in front of a home crowd in Malaga on Tuesday.

Nadal, 38, has has been touring for more than 20 years and is the second member of the so-called Big Three of men’s tennis to retire. Roger Federer announced his departure in 2022, while Novak Djokovic is still near the top of the game.

“It’s obviously a difficult decision, one that took me a while to make. But in this life, everything has a beginning and an end,” said Nadal, who practiced in Malaga on Friday. “And I think it’s the right time to end a career that has been long and much more successful than I could I. ever imagined.”

Here’s a guide to Nadal’s farewell to tennis:

How to watch Rafael Nadal and the rest of the Davis Cup on TV

— In the USA: The Tennis Channel

– There will be other countries listed here for months.

When will Nadal play his last match?

It’s not entirely clear when Nadal’s final match will come, largely because Davis Cup is a team event and what is now known as the “Final 8” begins at the quarter-final stage. Spain will start against the Netherlands on Tuesday. Win that and the Spaniards advance to the semifinals on Friday against Canada or Germany (who meet on Wednesday). The other quarterfinals are scheduled for Thursday: United States vs. Australia and defending champions Italy vs. Argentine. The championship round will take place on Sunday. There are two singles matches and one doubles match in each match; the first country to win twice advances. The other wild card in all of this: No one knows for sure whether Nadal will be picked by Spain captain David Ferrer to play singles, doubles, both or — theoretically possible, if unlikely — neither.

Who are Nadal’s teammates on Spain’s Davis Cup team?

Nadal joins Spain’s four-time Grand Slam champion on the list Carlos AlcarazRoberto Bautista Agut, Pedro Martinez and Marcel Granollers.

Why is Nadal retiring now?

The biggest reason he’s ready to move on is that he’s been bothered by a string of injuries, including a sore leg, abdominal muscle issues and a hip problem that required surgery last season. “The reality is that it’s been some tough years, especially the last two,” Nadal said. “I don’t think I was able to play without limitations.”

When was Nadal’s last match?

Nadal hasn’t played much at all each of the past two seasons due to injuries; he’s just 12-7 in 2024. His most recent official competition came in early August at the Paris Olympics, where he lost to his longtime rival — and eventual gold medalist — Djokovic in the second round of singlesand reached the doubles quarterfinals alongside Alcaraz before leaning out. Nadal played two more exhibition matches in Saudi Arabia last month.

How many Grand Slam titles has Nadal won?

Nadal finishes with 22 Grand Slam singles titles, behind Djokovic’s 24 for men in tennis history and ahead of Federer’s 20. Breakdown: 14 at the French Openfour at the US Open, two at Wimbledon, two at the Australian Open. Nadal’s last major championship came in Paris in 2022 when he needed it injections that numb the nerves in the left leg.

Has Nadal helped Spain win the Davis Cup in the past?

Nadal was part of Spain’s team at some stage of the Davis Cup for five years when the country won the title – in 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2019. The first title came after a then-teenage Nadal beat him no. Second-ranked Andy Roddick as Spain beat USA “I’m very excited that my last tournament will be the Davis Cup final and represent my country,” Nadal said. “I think I’ve come full circle, because one of my first great joys as a professional tennis player was the Davis Cup final in Seville in 2004.”

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tennis AP: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis