MALAGA, Spain (AP) — Rafael Nadal's relatively low-key retirement ceremony at the Davis Cup was defended by the head of the International Tennis Federation on Sunday as being dictated by the 22-time Grand Slam champion's wishes.
“Rafa is an amazing player and has a legacy of tennis that he will leave behind, inspiring millions of players around the world to play tennis, to continue to play. We felt it was very important to listen to what Rafa wanted and how he wanted to be celebrated. That’s exactly what we did,” ITF President David Haggerty said at a closing news conference at the site of the Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup in southern Spain.
“We took his lead, and we delivered on that," Haggerty added. "People can have whatever opinions they want of whether it was right or not, but to me, the most important thing was we delivered a ceremony that was what Rafa wanted — and, being who he is, was a great evening, and it was much appreciated.”
Feliciano López, the former player who is the Davis Cup Finals tournament director, deflected a question about the way Nadal was feted after his team, Spain, was eliminated by the Netherlands in the quarterfinals Tuesday.
“We should focus, all of us, on the fact that Rafa chose Davis Cup to be the final tournament of his career instead of keep talking about his farewell ceremony,” López said. “Honestly, we did our best.”
A video tribute was played, with highlight videos from Nadal's career and recorded messages from such current or former players as Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Serena Williams.
None of those contemporaries was on hand for the event.
Haggerty said the bidding process for future hosts of the Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup is in its “final stages,” with two or three candidates for each. It's possible they could go to the same city or be split, as they usually are (this year's women's team competition was moved to Malaga only because of complications with its original place, Seville).
The ITF hopes to announce the winning city or cities on Dec. 2, when the draw is announced in London for 2025 Davis Cup qualifying matches.
“What drives it, the decision-making, will be a number of factors, but the most important factor is making sure that there is great visibility for the competition — that we continue to grow, strength to strength. So it’s not about money. I mean, that’s an important element, but it’s not the driving element,” Haggerty said. “The driving element is how do we continue to build the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup. That’s what drives our decision.”
Malaga hosted the Davis Cup Finals the past past two years and its contract allows for the possibility of remaining the site in 2025.
Haggerty said 65,000 fans attended this year, up from 60,000 last year, and 43% of the spectators in 2024 traveled to the event from another country.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
A man walks in front a banner reading in Spanish: "Thank you Rafa" during the Billie Jean King Cup finals at the Martin Carpena sportshall in Malaga, southern Spain, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, after today's matches were canceled due to heavy rain and postponed until tomorrow. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Spain's Rafael Nadal during a tribute after playing his last match as a professional tennis player in the Davis Cup quarterfinals at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, on early Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe (AP) — All-rounder Sikandar Raza inspired Zimbabwe to a stunning 80-run win on the DLS method in the rain-affected first one-day international against a new-look Pakistan white-ball team on Sunday.
Raza made a crucial 39 runs and lifted Zimbabwe from a precarious 125-7 to 205 all out by sharing a 62-run eighth wicket stand with No. 9 batter Richard Ngarava, who top-scored with 48.
Under overcast conditions, Raza (2-7) picked up two wickets in one over as Pakistan limped to 60-6 in 21 overs before it rained and denied further play as Zimbabwe took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Pakistan’s second-string new ball bowlers – debutant Aamer Jamal and Mohammad Hasnain – couldn’t make an impact on Zimbabwe's openers after the visitors had rested frontline pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah for the white-ball series in Zimbabwe.
Pakistan also rested its ace batter Babar Azam for the first time in an ODI since 2019 as it experimented with its bench strength ahead of next year’s Champions Trophy.
Tadiwanashe Marumani (29) flicked Jamal to square leg for a six and Joylord Gumbie (15) hit three fours against the seamers as they combined in a better than run-a-ball opening stand of 40 runs against a wayward Pakistan pace attack.
Gumbie got run out in a mix-up with Marumani in the sixth over before Pakistan came back hard through its spinners and struck at regular intervals. One of the three Pakistan debutants – left-arm wristspinner Faisal Akram took 3-24 and vice-captain Salman Ali Agha claimed 3-42 as Zimbabwe slipped to 125-7 in the 26th over.
However, Ngarava and Raza thwarted Pakistan's spinners and pacers alike in a 69-ball stand to give the total respectability. Raza perished when he tried an expansive hit against Akram and was caught on the edge of the boundary while Ngarava was the last man to get dismissed after hitting five fours and a six when he chopped Hasnain back onto his stumps.
Fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani used the home conditions to perfection and snared the early wickets of Saim Ayub (11) and Abdullah Shafique (1), who both got caught behind inside the first three overs from the tall pacer.
Kamran Ghulam (17) and skipper Mohammad Rizwan (19 not out) couldn’t pace the chase before Pakistan lost four wickets in the space of 18 runs against the spinners. Ghulam tried to break the shackles but Sean Williams (2-12) got a thick edge and earned Marumani his third catch behind the wickets before Raza had two in three balls.
Raza pinned Salman plumb leg before wicket of his second ball and one ball later Haseebullah Khan was out for zero in his ODI debut when he played the wrong line and was clean bowled.
The three-match ODI series will be followed by three T20s with Bulawayo hosting all the matches.
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
Pakistan's Aamer Jamal celebrates a wicket on the first day of the ODI cricket match between Zimbabwe and Pakistan at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, Sunday 24 Nov 2024 (AP Photo/Wonder Mashura)
Zimbabwe's Sikandar plays a ball during the first ODI cricket match between Pakistan and Zimbabwe, in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024.(AP Wonder Mashura)
Zimbabwe's Richard Ngarava plays a ball on the first day of the ODI cricket match between Zimbabwe and Pakistan at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, Sunday 24 Nov 2024 (AP Photo/Wonder Mashura)
Pakistan bowler Mohammed Hasnain delivers a ball on the first day of the ODI cricket match between Zimbabwe and Pakistan at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, Sunday 24 Nov 2024 (AP Photo/Wonder Mashura)
Pakistan's captain Mohammad Rizwan plays a ball on the first day of the ODI cricket match between Zimbabwe and Pakistan at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Wonder Mashura)
Pakistan's, Kamran Ghulan, right, plays a stroke, in front of Zimbabwe's wicketkeeper Tadiwanashe Marumani, left, on the first day of the ODI cricket match between Zimbabwe and Pakistan at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, Sunday Nov. 24, 2024 (AP Photo/Wonder Mashura)
Zimbabwe cricket team celebrate a wicket during the first of the ODI cricket match between Zimbabwe and Pakistan at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Wonder Mashura)
