The time has come: the Davis Cup Final 8 is underway. After the Netherlands qualified for the 'Final 8' during the Davis Cup tennis group stage last September, captain Paul Haarhuis's team will be taking a shot at winning the prestigious tournament this week. This edition of the Davis Cup will have an extra special touch, as none other than Rafael Nadal has announced his retirement after this tournament. And just so happens Spain, the country where clay-court champion Nadal plays, will be the Dutch team's opponent...
Right time to stop
In early October, Nadal, the 22-time Grand Slam champion, announced that the Davis Cup on home soil would be his final event. The Spaniard had a total of 92 (!) tournament victories and was ranked world number one for an impressive 204 weeks. He also won two gold medals at the Olympic Games: one in singles (2008) and one in doubles (2016 with Marc López). The now 38-year-old Nadal has struggled with injuries in recent years and indicated in a video last month that this tournament on home soil was "the right time to retire." This edition of the Davis Cup tennis tournament will therefore have a special significance.
Special duel for Van de Zandschulp
Botic van de Zandschulp will have the honor of trying to send Nadal into tennis retirement as early as possible. The tennis player from Wageningen will face Nadal on Tuesday, November 19th, starting at 5:00 PM. If Van de Zandschulp wins, it could be Nadal's final professional match – depending on the results of the other match(es). In the match following the match between Nadal and Van de Zandschulp, Tallon Griekspoor will take the stage. He, too, will face a formidable opponent in his Davis Cup quarterfinal singles match. He will face none other than Carlos Alcaraz, the current world number three.
If the score remains tied (1-1) after these two singles matches, a doubles match will decide who qualifies for the Davis Cup semifinals. It is not yet known who will play this potential doubles match for either country. For the Netherlands, in addition to Van de Zandschulp and Griekspoor, Jesper de Jong and doubles specialist Wesley Koolhof have been selected. David Ferrer, captain of Spain, has named Roberto Bautista-Agut, Pedro Martinez, and Marcel Granollers to the lineup, in addition to Alcaraz and Nadal.
Chance to make history
If the Netherlands manages to eliminate the Spanish, it would be the second time in history that our compatriots have reached the Davis Cup semifinals. The first time this feat was in 2001, when the Dutch team consisted of Haarhuis, Jan Siemerink, Sjeng Schalken, and Raemon Sluiter. Last year, the Dutch team also secured a place in the Davis Cup quarterfinals, but Italy proved too strong for Haarhuis's team. The Italians, led by world number one Jannik Sinner, subsequently won the tournament as well, making them the defending champions to beat in this edition.
Final played on November 24
The Davis Cup Final 8 begins on November 19th in Málaga, Spain. In addition to the match between the Netherlands and Spain, the Davis Cup schedule also includes matches between Germany and Canada, the United States and Australia, and Italy and Argentina. If the Netherlands defeats Spain and sends Nadal into early retirement, they will play the winner of the Canadian-German match on November 22nd. The Davis Cup final is then scheduled for Sunday, November 24th.
Latest Davis Cup winners
2018 – Croatia
2019 – Spain
2020-2021 – Russia
2022 – Canada
2023 - Italy
