Nadal focused on Davis Cup, not retirement

Spanish ace insists he is in Malaga to help his team, not to dwell on the future

FUENGIROLA, Spain — Rafael Nadal felt a hand on his left shoulder as he walked out of a conference room at a resort on Spain's southern coast on Monday, following his first question-and-answer session with reporters since announcing that this week's Davis Cup Final 8 will be his last event before retirement.

Nadal turned to see Carlos Alcaraz, his Spanish teammate and heir apparent, who wanted to whisper something. Nadal, 38, and Alcaraz, 21, were one potential combination to share the court — possibly for the last time — when Spain faced the Netherlands in the quarterfinals at the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena in Malaga on Tuesday.

Then again, maybe neither would play: Nadal nor Spain's captain, David Ferrer, would say Monday whether the 22-time Grand Slam champion would participate. What is clear is that Nadal's career will soon be over.