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Rafael Nadal Shares Video of His Davis Cup Preparation

Rafael Nadal has begun preparing for his final professional tennis tournament.

Pat Benson

Jul 27, 2024; Paris, France; Rafael Nadal (ESP) reacts in a men's tennis doubles match during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Roland Garros. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images
Jul 27, 2024; Paris, France; Rafael Nadal (ESP) reacts in a men's tennis doubles match during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Roland Garros. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images / Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Tennis fans only have one more opportunity to watch Rafael Nadal grace the court. The Spanish tennis legend's final professional event will be at the Davis Cup Final 8 in Malaga.

The 38-year-old has battled injuries throughout his final year on the ATP Tour but wants to end his career at an international competition where he has enjoyed so much success.

Nadal has won four Davis Cup titles which bolster his stellar resume that already includes two Olympic gold medals and 22 Grand Slam singles titles.

As fans soak in Nadal's every move on the court, the tennis icon shared a sneak peek on social media of his preparation for the Davis Cup. Above is our first look at Nadal's training for the indoor hard court tournament.

Nadal looked strong and agile in his 35-second video shared on social media. It is also noticeable that he is training at the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy. Flooding following a devastating storm in Spain recently damaged the state-of-the-art facility.

Nadal has a strong history at the Davis Cup. After losing his first-ever singles match to Jiri Novak in 2004, Nadal has gone undefeated in the Davis Cup for 20 years (he is 29-1 in singles play at the tournament).

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 ATP event takes place in Martin Carpena Arena in Málaga, Spain.

The last time Nadal played was at the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Saudi Arabia. The King of Clay bidding farewell in Spain seems like a sold send-off for the iconic athlete. Tennis fans can follow Sports Illustrated's Serve on SI for all the most important news from the sport

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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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