Rafael Nadal will play for Spain in the Davis Cup Final Eight.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion has not competed anywhere since the Paris 2024 Olympics, where he lost in the second round to rival Novak Djokovic in the men’s singles, and paired with Carlos Alcaraz to get to the quarterfinals of men’s doubles before exiting against Americans Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.
Following the Paris Games, Nadal pulled out of the US Open 2024 and Laver Cup 2024 due to health issues.
He will be joining Alcaraz, Roberto Bautista Agut, Pablo Carreno Busta and Marcel Granollers in the Spain team. David Ferrer will be the coach for the team.
The top eight nations qualified from the Group Finals and will play to a finish in the Spanish coastal city. Host Spain will face the Netherlands while Canada is up against Germany in its opening tie.
Ties will consist of two singles and a doubles decider.
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner was absent from the Group Finals, where Italy, the defending champion, won all three of its ties, but Sinner might make a comeback in Malaga. Argentina, who made it out of a competitive group that included Britain and Canada, will be its opponent.
Given that Spain and Italy are on different sides of the draw, Sinner and third-ranked Carlos Alcaraz could face off in the championship match.
The U.S. was also under-strength in the Group Finals but the 32-times Davis Cup champion could call on some of its big guns in Malaga where it will need to get past Australia, the second most successful nation with 28 titles.
The Final Eight knockout rounds take place between November 19-24 in the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena.
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