Nadal: "Playing me was risky, but the captain has to make decisions".
In the last tournament of his career, Rafael Nadal played the first match of the Davis Cup quarter-final against the Netherlands.
The Spanish legend challenged Botic van de Zandschulp, but lost in two sets despite putting up a good fight (6-4, 6-4).
The announcement of his participation in the singles competition sent social networks into a frenzy just hours before the match. In a press conference, he explained why David Ferrer chose him for the first time.
"Of course, it wasn't an easy decision for the captain to make. But in the end, I really think David lined up the player he felt most capable of winning.
That's true, because from the start I gave him my opinion and he didn't need to feel any pressure to play me," revealed Nadal.
Nadal respects captain David Ferrer's choice
"I wasn't sure I was going to play, that's true. There were a lot of discussions during the week. I wasn't sure, because I knew that something like what happened today could happen.
But after yesterday's training session, the feeling was positive. David was confident that I was the player who needed to be on the court.
Things may or may not go well. Playing me in the first match was risky, of course. But that's the captain's job. At the end of the day, he has to make decisions," he reminds us.
"I'm sure David made this choice thinking he was doing what was best for the team. I respect that.
I gave him opportunities to play Roberto Bautista-Agut more than me throughout the week.
I've got nothing, no injury, nothing important. I feel ready to play now. And if he looks at both of us training and decides that's the case, I respect that.
I'm doing my best, and I thank him for giving me this opportunity," concludes the king of clay on the subject.
