Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaras were named in Spain’s squad for Monday’s Davis Cup final, raising the prospect of a renewal of the “Nadal-Caras” doubles partnership they formed at the Paris Olympics.
The 38-year-old Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, has not played since the Paris Olympics, where he lost to longtime rival Novak Djokovic in the second round of the singles and teamed with Alcaraz to reach the quarterfinals of the men’s doubles before being knocked out by Austin Krajczek and Rajiv Ram of the United States.
Nadal has barely competed in the last two seasons due to health issues, withdrawing from the US Open and Laver Cup.
Alcaraz won the men’s singles titles at the French Open in June and Wimbledon in July, extending his career Grand Slam tally to four at age 21.
Spain will face the Netherlands in the quarter-finals of the Davis Cup final, which will be held in Malaga, Spain, from November 19 to 24.
Other opening matches include: defending champions Italy vs. Argentina, USA vs. Australia and Germany vs. Canada.
Italy will be led by No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who won the Australian Open in January and the US Open this month. The Italian roster also includes Wimbledon semifinalist and Olympic bronze medallist Lorenzo Musetti.
The U.S. team includes Taylor Fritz, a former runner-up at Flushing Meadows, former major semifinalists Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton, and doubles specialists Kryzek and Lamb.
The winner of Italy-Argentina will face the winner of USA-Australia in the semifinals, while the other semifinal will feature the winners of Germany-Canada and Netherlands-Spain.
Italy won their first Davis Cup title since 1976 a year ago in Malaga.
