Carlos Alcaraz has handed Rafael Nadal the ultimate chance to end his career in glorious fashion after Spain made it through to the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga in November.
Alcaraz suggested he was jaded after a shock early exit at the US Open, but he opted to make a quick return to court as he accepted a call-up from Spain captain David Ferrer to play in the Davis Cup in Valencia.
Alcaraz secured a 6-3, 6-3 win against France’s Ugo Humbert in front of his passionate army of fans in Spain and suggested he was content with his performance levels on his least favoured indoor hard court surface.
“The level that I played from the beginning to the last ball, I was really focused, really intense,” said Alcaraz.
“It was probably one of the best matches I have played this year and after my last month, I need these kind of matches.
“I need this week, being with the team, with all the players, all the staff from the Federation.
Having them cheer me on for every point. Off the court, we have a really good relationship. I need this atmosphere and these matches where I feel I am not playing alone. My energy is getting higher.”
Earlier in the day, Roberto Bautista Agut rallied to a 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 win over Arthur Fils, who served for the match at 5-4 in the second set.
Now Nadal could be offered a chance to join up with the Spain Davis Cup team for what is shaping up to be a star-studded event for the Finals in Malaga in November.
There were strong suggestions that Nadal may be set to retire at next week’s Laver Cup in Berlin, as the 22-time Grand Slam champion has not entered any other tournaments at this point.
Yet he confirmed that his hopes of playing in the team event in Germany have been dashed as he is not ready to compete.
The final chapters of Nadal’s career have been hampered by persistent injuries, sparking increasingly heated expectations that he would end his tennis story at the Laver Cup.
Roger Federer called time on his story at the Laver Cup in 2022 and speculation that Nadal was going to follow the same script heightened after the Swiss maestro confirmed he has spoken to his old rival as he wanted to send him a message.
There were rumours that Nadal had asked Federer to attend his farewell at the Laver Cup in Berlin, with some suggestions the end of his career may have come alongside his old rival in a doubles match.
Federer ended his career by teaming up with Nadal in the 2022 Laver Cup, but any hopes of a repeat have been ended by confirmation that Nadal is not fit enough to play in Berlin.
“I’m really disappointed to share that I won’t be able to compete at the Laver Cup in Berlin next week,” said Nadal in a social media post.
“This is a team competition and to really support Team Europe, I need to do what’s best for them and at this moment there are other players who can help the team deliver the win.
“I have so many great, emotional memories from playing Laver Cup and I was really looking forward to being with my teammates and with Bjorn (Borg) in his final year as captain.
“I wish Team Europe the very best of luck and will be cheering them on from afar.”
Nadal could now have a chance to renew his doubles partnership with Alcaraz, after the duo played together at the Paris Olympic Games in August.
If Nadal does sign up to play in front of what would be an emotional Spanish crowd in November, he could be part of the biggest Davis Cup Finals yet, with USA and Germany and Italy among the superpower tennis nations who have joined the list of qualifiers in recent days.
That could see Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner joining Alcaraz and the Spain team in Malaga in the final major tennis event of 2024.
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