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Rafael Nadal on Farewell Tour: "I Don't Have That Ego"

Rafael Nadal explained why he does not have the ego for a farewell tour.

Pat Benson

Jul 28, 2024; Paris, France; Rafael Nadal (ESP) waves to crowd before paying against Maximo Gonzales (ARG) and Andres Molteni (ARG) in the men's tennis doubles first round during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Roland Garros.
Jul 28, 2024; Paris, France; Rafael Nadal (ESP) waves to crowd before paying against Maximo Gonzales (ARG) and Andres Molteni (ARG) in the men's tennis doubles first round during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Roland Garros. / Amber Searls-Imagn Images

For over a month, the entire tennis world has had the Davis Cup circled on the calendar. The international competition will serve as the final professional tournament for 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal.

As much as the 38-year-old wants to shift the focus to his team and their pursuit of winning the "World Cup of Tennis," everyone is in attendance to watch him play for the final time.

While Nadal's retirement did not come as a complete surprise, his announcement in early October was confirmation that his career would end sooner rather than later.

In an era where fans across all sports are accustomed to lengthy farewell tours spanning cities and countries, Nadal insists that he did not want to participate in a long goodbye.

Nadal told media in Málaga, "So at the end of the day, all relate to the question of myself is about, OK, I can hold for one more year, but why? To say goodbye in every single tournament, I don't have the ego to need that."

Nadal continued, "So, at the end is about a feeling that I have been thinking for a long time. For me, today don't make sense or to keep going knowing that I don't have the real chance to be competitive the way that I like to be competitive, because my body is not able to give me the possibility to do that very often."

The last time Nadal played was at the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Saudi Arabia. Nadal will team up with Carlos Alcaraz, who he played doubles with in the 2024 Paris Olympics, to represent Spain. Spain's first opponent will be the Netherlands in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, November 19.

The Knockout Stage of the 2024 Davis Cup will run from November 19-24. The international event takes place in Martin Carpena Arena in Málaga, Spain. Fans in the United States can watch the tournament on the Tennis Channel and its streaming app.

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the sneaker industry for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Previously, he has reported on the NBA, authored "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)," and interviewed some of the biggest names in the sports world. You can email him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.

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