As retirement looms, Rafael Nadal would not pick himself for Davis Cup semis if Spain advances

Tennis fans likely saw the last of Rafael Nadal in the professional singles arena, the 22-time Grand Slam champion implied in his Davis Cup post-match press conference.

“If I would be the captain, probably I will change, I don't put myself the next day,” mused Nadal, who had just lost, 6-4, 6-4 to Botic van de Zandschulp in the quarterfinal meeting between Spain and the Netherlands. “If we go through, that's my feeling.”

Spain is tied 1-1 with the Netherlands after former world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz leveled the tie with a 7-6 (0), 6-3 win over Tallon Griekspoor, with a deciding doubles match yet to come.

Read more: Nadal loses potential career-ending match; 20-year Davis Cup singles win streak falls

The 38-year-old Nadal, who announced last month that he would play the final event of his tennis career at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, was tapped to play in the first singles rubber by captain David Ferrer, who will likewise make the ultimate decision of who competes in Friday’s semifinal should Spain advance.

“At the end, is not my decision, and I'm sure that he will make the best decision possible for the team.”

Nadal spoke at length about the decision to compete in singles for the first time since the Summer Olympic Games in Paris, feeling injury-free in the lead-up to the match against Van de Zandschulp, whom he’d led 2-0 in their head-to-head prior to Tuesday.

“I try to give him all the time the easier input to make him decide the way that he feels,” explained Nadal, who was nominated to compete in Davis Cup for Spain alongside former world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, Pedro Martinez, Roberto Bautista Agut, and Marcel Granollers. “I even give him more chances to put Roberto on the field than me during the whole week, but, I mean, he had the confidence to put myself, so at the end, I have nothing, not an injury, nothing important to say I'm not ready to play.

“If he watch both of us playing on the practices and he decide that, I respect it and I went on court, I try my best and thanks for the opportunity.”

Nadal’s early press conference indicated he was unlikely to compete doubles on Tuesday, making it unclear whether this was, in fact, the last match of his career.

“By the way, it's in some ways good maybe if that was my last match that probably that was my last match is nothing happens. I lost my first match in the Davis Cup, and I lost my last one. So we close the circle,” he joked.

Should Spain advance, they would compete on Friday against the winner of Wednesday’s quarterfinal between Germany and Canada.