MALAGA, Spain — Rafael Nadal’s comparatively low-key retirement ceremony on the Davis Cup was defended by the top of the Worldwide Tennis Federation on Sunday as being dictated by the 22-time Grand Slam champion’s needs.
“Rafa is an incredible participant and has a legacy of tennis that he’ll go away behind, inspiring thousands and thousands of gamers world wide to play tennis, to proceed to play. We felt it was essential to hearken to what Rafa needed and the way he needed to be celebrated. That is precisely what we did,” ITF President David Haggerty stated at a closing information convention on the website of the Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup in southern Spain.
“We took his lead, and we delivered on that,” Haggerty added. “Folks can have no matter opinions they need of whether or not it was proper or not, however to me, crucial factor was we delivered a ceremony that was what Rafa needed — and, being who he’s, was an excellent night, and it was a lot appreciated.”
Feliciano Lopez, the previous participant who’s the Davis Cup Finals event director, deflected a query about the best way Nadal was feted after his staff, Spain, was eradicated by the Netherlands within the quarterfinals Tuesday.
“We should always focus, all of us, on the truth that Rafa selected Davis Cup to be the ultimate event of his profession as an alternative of hold speaking about his farewell ceremony,” Lopez stated. “Actually, we did our greatest.”
A video tribute was performed, with spotlight movies from Nadal’s profession and recorded messages from such present or former gamers as Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Serena Williams.
None of these contemporaries was available for the occasion.
Future websites for Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup to be introduced
Haggerty stated the bidding course of for future hosts of the Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup is in its “remaining levels,” with two or three candidates for every. It is doable they might go to the identical metropolis or be break up, as they normally are (this 12 months’s ladies’s staff competitors was moved to Malaga solely due to problems with its authentic place, Seville).
The ITF hopes to announce the successful metropolis or cities on Dec. 2, when the draw is introduced in London for 2025 Davis Cup qualifying matches.
“What drives it, the decision-making, will likely be a variety of elements, however crucial issue is ensuring that there’s nice visibility for the competitors — that we proceed to develop, power to power. So it is not about cash. I imply, that is an necessary factor, nevertheless it’s not the driving factor,” Haggerty stated. “The driving factor is how will we proceed to construct the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup. That is what drives our choice.”
Malaga hosted the Davis Cup Finals the previous previous two years and its contract permits for the potential for remaining the location in 2025.
Haggerty stated 65,000 followers attended this 12 months, up from 60,000 final 12 months, and 43 per cent of the spectators in 2024 traveled to the occasion from one other nation.
