MALAGA.- “It was probably my last game, I lost the first and the last,” he said crudely. Rafael Nadal this Tuesday after losing at the start of the Davis Cup against the Dutch Botic Van de Zandschulp by a double 6-4.
Nadal, who had only lost in singles in his first Davis Cup match, in 2004 when he was 17 years old against Jiri Novak, gave in more than two decades later, after 29 victories and five Salad Bowls on his record.
This setback forced Carlos Alcaraz to win against Tallon Griekspoor in the second round so that the host could play the tiebreaker doubles.
Tears during the anthem
“In the end I knew that it could be my last game as a professional, so the previous moments were exciting, difficult to manage. I have tried to do it in the best possible way, to control, but sometimes it is difficult. I can’t thank the team enough. people who have helped me, the public has been incredible, as always in Spain”.
‘It hasn’t been enough’
“I tried to have the best possible energy, but it wasn’t enough, Botic was better than me today. Nothing to say, the decision was made for me to play, we knew it was a somewhat risky decision. But David had us I’ve seen training and thought it was the right thing to do in sports. I’ve won many times, today it couldn’t be, I’m at a different moment, just the energy and determination. I haven’t been able to control the level. necessary to give the point to Spain. I have been much more successful in training than in the competition.
‘I would put another player’
“I’m still a player, even if I have little left. I’m not the captain, he makes the decisions he thinks are best for the team. I said that if I didn’t see myself ready, he should rule me out, but that hasn’t been the case, I think. “I have trained well, although I have not performed as I would have liked. I hope we have another opportunity, but I would choose another player if I were captain, although the decision is not up to me. Perhaps the easy decision is to change for Roberto (Bautista).” .
The love of the stands
“I would live it every day if I could, something else is what I think is best for the team. The things that one wants are not in line with what is best for the team. Today there was the question of how I would respond in competition after not playing in recent months. Honestly, what I say is not because I feel like it or not. We will see how the activity develops during the week. Hopefully we will continue working to remain eligible in doubles or singles.
Lack of automation
“There are a host of circumstances that make everything go very fast, making it difficult to control because I don’t have the automatisms of when one is in competition. The track is much faster than what we are used to on the circuit and I didn’t have the mental agility to play without thinking. I have been very self-critical of myself throughout my career, even in the victories I looked for something negative to continue improving. Today I am not going to be harsh, although if I get back on the court I will try. be better than today”.
