FUENGIROLA, Spain (AP) — Neither Rafael Nadal nor Spanish captain David Ferrer would say Monday whether the 22-time Grand Slam champion will play at the Davis Cup Final 8, his last event before retirement.
Spain is scheduled to face the Netherlands on Tuesday in the quarterfinals on an indoor hard court at the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena in Malaga. The winner will play in the semifinals on Friday. The championship will be decided on Sunday.
Click to Gallery
David Ferrer, captain of Team Spain, attends a press conference in Fuengirola, southern Spain, on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Spain's tennis player Rafael Nadal attends a press conference in Fuengirola, southern Spain, on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Spain's tennis player Carlos Alcaraz, left, and Rafael Nadal attends a press conference in Fuengirola, southern Spain, on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Spain's tennis player Rafael Nadal attends a press conference in Fuengirola, southern Spain, on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, left, shakes hands with Rafael Nadal during a training session at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall, in Malaga, southern Spain, on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
At a team news conference held at a hotel in Fuengirola, about 12 miles (20 kilometers) south of the competition venue, Nadal was asked how he has been feeling in practice in recent days and whether he is ready to play.
“That’s a question for the captain,” Nadal responded, drawing a laugh from Ferrer, sitting to the star player's left.
Moments later, Ferrer was asked about Nadal's participation.
“I don’t know yet,” Ferrer said. “At the moment, I have not decided the players that are going to play tomorrow.”
Nadal is 29-1 in his Davis Cup singles career, 8-4 in doubles.
There will be two matches in singles and one in doubles in the best-of-three matchup between Spain and the Netherlands. Nadal could appear just in singles, just in doubles — perhaps alongside Carlos Alcaraz, his partner at the Paris Olympics this year — in both or not at all.
It's up to Ferrer.
There's a reason, though, that the 9,200-capacity arena is sold out for Tuesday: This could be the last chance to see Nadal play a match that matters.
“His last moments on court probably are going to be super special. Not (just) for me, but for everyone,” Alcaraz said. “For me, for the team, and for everyone here in Spain, it’s going to be an emotional day.”
Monday represented the first chance for the 38-year-old Nadal to answer questions from reporters and explain at length his decision, announced last month, to walk away from tennis after the Davis Cup.
Nadal has been dealing with a series of injuries the past two seasons and has been limited to only 23 official singles matches in that span; that includes a 12-7 record this year.
"I'm not here to retire. I’m here to help the team win. It’s my last week in a team competition and the most important thing is to help the team. The emotions will come later,” said Nadal, wearing the squad's red polo shirt with a tiny red-and-yellow Spanish flag on the left sleeve.
“I’m enjoying the week. I’m not putting too much attention to the retirement," Nadal said. "It will be a big change in my life after this week.”
Nadal said it doesn't “make sense to keep going knowing that I don’t have the real chance to be competitive the way that I like to be competitive because my body” won’t allow it.
“OK, I can hold for one more year. But why? To say goodbye in every single tournament? I don’t have that ego to need that,” Nadal said, adding that he has “been thinking for a long time” about retiring.
He hasn't played a real match since the Olympics in early August. Nadal lost in the second round of the singles to Novak Djokovic there, then in the quarterfinals of the doubles alongside Alcaraz.
“I’ve tried to prepare as hard as possible for the last month and a half. I’m trying to give my best for this event," Nadal said. "When you don’t compete so often, it’s difficult to maintain the level consistently. But the improvement is there every day. I believe that.”
In addition to Nadal and Alcaraz, Spain's Davis Cup team includes Marcel Granollers, Roberto Bautista Agut and Pedro Martinez.
As they all walked out of the hotel conference room at the conclusion of the question-and-answer session, Alcaraz placed his right hand on Nadal's left shoulder and whispered something.
They might share a court one last time this week. Or maybe they won't. It's not certain yet. What is clear is that Nadal soon will know for sure that his career is done.
What will he miss the most?
“I mean, probably the feeling of competition, (to) go on court and see the fans out there, the atmosphere when you play big matches,” Nadal said. “And at the end of the day, (it) is about the adrenaline that you feel before, at the end, and during the match.”
AP Sports Writer Tales Azzoni in Madrid contributed to this report.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
David Ferrer, captain of Team Spain, attends a press conference in Fuengirola, southern Spain, on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Spain's tennis player Rafael Nadal attends a press conference in Fuengirola, southern Spain, on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Spain's tennis player Carlos Alcaraz, left, and Rafael Nadal attends a press conference in Fuengirola, southern Spain, on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Spain's tennis player Rafael Nadal attends a press conference in Fuengirola, southern Spain, on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, left, shakes hands with Rafael Nadal during a training session at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall, in Malaga, southern Spain, on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — United Nations climate talks resumed Monday with negotiators urged to make progress on a deal that could see developing countries get more money to spend on clean energy and adapting to climate-charged weather extremes.
On Monday, U.N. Climate Change executive secretary Simon Stiell called for countries to “cut the theatrics and get down to real business.”
“We will only get the job done if Parties are prepared to step forward in parallel, bringing us closer to common ground,” Stiell said to a room of delegates in Baku, Azerbaijan. “I know we can get this done.”
Climate and environment ministers from around the world have arrived at the summit to help push the talks forward.
Talks in Baku are focused on getting more climate cash for developing countries to transition away from fossil fuels, adapt to climate change and pay for damages caused by extreme weather. But countries are far apart on how much money that will require. A group of developing nations last week put the sum at $1.3 trillion, while rich countries are yet to name a figure. Several experts estimated that the money needed for climate finance is around $1 trillion.
“We all know it is never easy in politics and in international politics to talk about money, but the cost of action today is, as a matter of fact, much lower than the cost of inaction,” said Wopke Hoekstra, the EU climate commissioner at press conference on Monday.
“We will continue to lead to do our fair share and even more than our fair share, as we’ve always done," he said. But he added that "others have a responsibility to contribute based on their emissions and based on their economic growth too.”
But Teresa Anderson, the Global Lead on Climate Justice at ActionAid International, was skeptical about rich countries' intentions.
“The concern is that the pressure to add developing countries to the list of contributors is not, in fact, about raising more money for frontline countries,” Anderson said. "Rich countries are just trying to point the finger and have an excuse to provide less finance. That’s not the way to address runaway climate breakdown, and is a distraction from the real issues at stake.”
Rachel Cleetus from the Union of Concerned Scientists said $1 trillion in global climate funds "is going to look like a bargain five, 10 years from now.”
“We’re going to wonder why we didn’t take that and run with it,” she said, citing a multitude of costly recent extreme weather events from flooding in Spain to hurricanes Helene and Milton in the United States.
Meanwhile, the world’s biggest decision makers are halfway around the world as another major summit convenes. Brazil is hosting the Group of 20 summit, which runs Nov. 18-19, bringing together many of the world's largest economies. Climate change — among other major topics like rising global tensions and poverty — will be on the agenda.
Harjeet Singh, global engagement director for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, said G20 nations “cannot turn their backs on the reality of their historical emissions and the responsibility that comes with it.”
"They must commit to trillions in public finance," he said.
Also on Monday, the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has been mulling a proposal to cut public spending for foreign fossil fuel projects. The OECD — made up of 38 member countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Japan and Germany — are discussing a deal that could prevent up to $40 billion worth of carbon-polluting projects.
At COP29, activists are protesting the U.S., South Korea, Japan, and Turkey who they say are the key holdouts preventing the agreement in Paris from being finalized.
“It’s of critical importance that President Biden comes out in support. We know it’s really important that he lands a deal that Trump cannot undo. This can be really important for Biden’s legacy,” said Lauri van der Burg, Global Public Finance Lead at Oil Change international. “If he comes around, this will help mount pressure on other laggards including Korea, Turkey and Japan.”
Associated Press journalist Ahmed Hatem in Baku contributed to this report.
The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Simon Stiell, United Nations climate chief, speaks ahead of a plenary session at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Activist Ann Carlotta Oltmanns, center, pretends to resuscitate Earth with others during a demonstration at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
Activist Friday Barilule Nbani leads a demonstration for clean energy at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Mukhtar Babayev, COP29 President, bangs a gavel during a plenary session at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Attendees gather in the Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Yalchin Rafiyev, Azerbaijan's COP29 lead negotiator, attends a plenary session at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
A demonstrators holds a sign that reads "don't burn our future" at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
Attendees arrive at the venue as it rains during the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
Activists participate in a demonstration for climate finance at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
Arnold Jason Del Rosario leads a demonstration on climate finance at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
People arrive as it rains at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
