"I hope Rafa is there too": Carlos Alcaraz 'excited' to team up with Rafael Nadal at Davis Cup final round

Spain’s young tennis star Carlos Alcaraz has expressed optimism that legendary Rafael Nadal would be fit enough to take part in the final round of the Davis Cup. The 38-year-old is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men’s tennis in the singles category, having won as many as 22 Grand Slam titles.

Nadal has struggled with fitness concerns in the recent past. The legendary Spanish player recently announced withdrawal from the Laver Cup claiming that he was not ready to participate in the two-team event. It was not the first event this year where Nadal decided to withdraw. Recently, he also decided to not feature in the US Open. It was the third Grand Slam this year where the former world number one decided to not take part. He also did not take part in the Australian Open and Wimbledon earlier this year.

Nadal also did not play in three Grand Slams last year because of a fitness concern. During that time, he announced that he would retire at the end of the 2024 season. Recently, there have been reports that the legendary tennis star might play in the final round of the Davis Cup. That event might finally give him the perfect opportunity to retire from professional tennis.

Another Spanish star, Alcaraz, who is already regarded as one of the best players currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category along with Italy’s Jannik Sinner and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, has been recently quoted in a report expressing optimism to see Nadal feature in the final round of the Davis Cup. He also revealed that he had heard the coach of the Spanish team, David Ferrer, saying that if the former world number one was fit enough, he would go to ‘death’ with him to win the ultimate prize at the mega-event.

"I heard David say that if Rafa was there, he would go to the death with him,” he said. "I hope I'm also physically fit to be able to go to Malaga. It's something that I'm particularly excited about and I hope Rafa is there too."