Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz were announced as part of Spain’s team for the Davis Cup Finals on Monday, sparking excitement about the return of their “Nadalcaraz” doubles partnership from the Paris Olympics.
Nadal, who has won 22 Grand Slam titles and is 38 years old, hasn’t played since the Paris Games. There, he lost in the second round of singles to his longtime rival Novak Djokovic and teamed up with Alcaraz to reach the quarterfinals in men’s doubles, only to lose to Americans Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.
After that, Nadal pulled out of the U.S. Open and the Laver Cup due to ongoing health issues that have kept him from competing regularly over the last two seasons.
On the other hand, Alcaraz has had a successful year, winning the men’s singles titles at both the French Open in June and Wimbledon in July, bringing his career total to four titles at just 21 years old.
Spain will face the Netherlands in the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup Finals, which features eight teams and takes place from November 19 to 24 in Malaga, Spain.
Other first-round matchups include defending champion Italy against Argentina, the United States against Australia, and Germany versus Canada.
Italy’s team will be led by Jannik Sinner, who is currently ranked No. 1 and recently won both the Australian Open in January and the U.S. Open this month. The Italian team also includes Lorenzo Musetti, who reached the Wimbledon semifinals and won a bronze medal at the Olympics.
The U.S. team includes Taylor Fritz, who was the runner-up to Sinner at the U.S. Open, as well as former major semifinalists Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton, along with doubles experts Krajicek and Ram.
