In order to prevent influencing Spain’s result, Cedric Pioline, the director of the Paris Masters, believes Rafael Nadal will only play doubles as he gets ready for his final appearance at the Davis Cup Finals.
Ahead of his arrival in Malaga, the 22-time Grand Slam champion has expressed some skepticism on his physical state. “Am I going to be prepared for the Davis Cup? At a news conference held during the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia, Rafael Nadal stated, “Yes, definitely, emotionally; physically and in terms of tennis, I still have a month ahead of me.”
“I’ll strive to stay in shape and prepare so I can assist the squad win. It will be up to the captain to decide if he feels ready and I do. The former world number one went on, “I will be the first to step aside and see how I can help if I don’t feel ready.”
“To enter the game, I must first feel competitive; after that, you can win or lose; it’s just a part of the sport. I won’t take the court if I’m not at my best or if I’m not close to winning my match.”
He asked Nadal if he would be interested in playing in the Paris Masters, but the Spaniard said no right away, according to Pioline. “I asked if there was any interest, but the answer was very clear: he has decided to play the Davis Cup Final 8 in Malaga as his last event, and he will not play an official tournament until then,” the man from France informed the press.
“It’s hard to know whether he feels he’s performing well and whether he thinks he can bring something to the table,” said Pioline. Based on my knowledge of him, I believe he will only play doubles to take a break and not risk the team’s performance in order to fulfill his personal urge to say farewell.
He said, “I think it’s clear in his head that he knows himself well; he has a whole team, and there’s a form of risk [in not playing before the Davis Cup Finals].” “We have less rhythm the less we play. You are less confident the less rhythm you have. With all of his injuries over the past two years, it’s safe to say that others would have given up sooner.To his credit, he persevered and made the decision on where and when to end the day. That is invaluable.