Botic van de Zandschulp poised to be Nadal’s final rival in Davis Cup farewell: “He was always my idol as child”

Botic van de Zandschulp could face Rafael Nadal at the Davis Cup Finals, where the 22-time Grand Slam champion will retire next week. The Dutch player recently told Marca that he doesn’t want to "get crazy" about being part of Nadal’s farewell.

The 38-year-old Spaniard was called up for the Davis Cup in September by team captain David Ferrer, shortly before announcing his plans to end his career at this final tournament representing Spain. Ferrer reportedly asked Nadal to prepare for the opening singles match against Van de Zandschulp.

However, the captain has not confirmed that Nadal will play singles, stating he wants to evaluate him closely during training in Malaga. Nadal himself said he wouldn’t risk playing singles unless he feels capable of winning. With a few days of training behind them, Ferrer's decision is imminent. If Nadal doesn’t play singles, he will still have a farewell match in doubles.

“It is true that everyone will be following our tie, but if Spain wins, they will still have to play more, so it’s not clear when Nadal’s last professional match will be,” commented Dutch No. 2 Van de Zandschulp in a recent interview with Marca. “Of course, I have thought about that possibility, but I try not to think too much about it because I think I would go crazy.

“I hope I can face him; I really want to. I remember we’ve played twice before. He was always my idol as a child, and I used to watch his matches on TV. It would be a real pleasure to be the last one to face him,” he added.

Van de Zandschulp faced Nadal twice back in 2022 at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, losing on both occasions. “It was when we played at Roland Garros two years ago. I saw him in the locker room, and the way he walked, you could tell he had a different character, an aura that few have.”

The Netherlands team is led by Tallon Griekspoor, who will face Carlos Alcaraz in the second singles match. The series will be played on November 19 (two singles and a doubles match, if necessary), with the winner advancing to face Germany or Canada.