"His time will eventually come": Toni Nadal sees Davis Cup in Rafael Nadal's future amid David Ferrer succession

Tuesday, 20 October 2026 at 17:00

Toni Nadal believes that his nephew Rafael Nadal will one day become the captain of the Spanish Davis Cup team, albeit that won't be happening yet no matter what, as the Spanish Tennis Federation, though, has confirmed that the successor to David Ferrer will be a familiar face to Nadal.

The 65-year-old spoke about Nadal's future on Spanish radio recently amid the change of captain as David Ferrer's reign in charge comes to an end. He said that while he isn't certain, he believes that Nadal does want to be Davis Cup captain eventually and that his time will come.

The Spaniard has not announced any plans to even be in the reckoning for the position prior to Marc Lopez being the one who was confirmed as successor.

Would Nadal be Davis Cup captain?

“I think – and I do mean think – that Rafa would like to be Davis Cup captain; I don’t know when, but I suppose he would like to and his time will eventually come,” Toni Nadal said on Ondacero’s ‘Radioestadio Noche’ programme. "What’s more, Rafa is the sort of person who brings a team together."

He was officially named and signed a contract until 2029 and will take the role from January 1, 2027. He was confirmed on October 19 as the latest captain. Albeit he might still enlist the services of Nadal given that he partnered with Nadal to win the gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, won French Open doubles gold with Feliciano Lopez and is a known ally of Nadal.

Nadal receives a standing ovation from the public during his tribute at Roland Garros 2025

Rafael Nadal at 2025 French Open

The former player has been previously part of the Spanish Davis Cup staff working as an assistant to Ferrer, so in theory it is just natural progression. He will keep that role at the finals before taking main charge next year.

“It’s almost a reward for the careers of these great players who deserve it, and it has to be more or less a rotating role,” Toni said. “Marc Lopez is a wonderful person and gets on well with everyone; he knows a great deal about tennis.”

Nadal previously hasn't ruled it out himself, speaking in interviews. "Being Davis Cup captain someday? Why not? I might enjoy it, or not. I've just retired. It's far too early to be thinking about that. I respect life's processes and adaptation. Right now, it's not the time to think about it," said Nadal on it back in 2025.

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Ferrer announced last week that he would leave at the end of 2026 despite having another year on his contract. He expects Carlos Alcaraz to represent the team in Bologna. Albeit rumours have also pointed towards Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, though he has been snubbed again with the Shanghai winner apparently not on the list for the tie.

This despite his ranking and title win, and it has happened to him before, so the hope for him will be that Lopez ushers him out from the cold.

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