Sad News for Rafael Nadal and Team Spain Fans for ATP Cup 2022

Published 12/01/2021, 1:15 AM EST

As the 2021 season is coming to an end, fans are already looking forward to the beginning of the 2022 season. The first tournament in the new year will be the ATP Cup 2022. In the upcoming third edition of the competition, there’s unfortunate news for Team Spain. The 2o-time Grand Slam champion, Rafael Nadal, will not be leading his nation next year. Along with that, Carlos Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers are also missing out on the tournament in Australia.

Rafael Nadal has decided to play an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi from 16-18th December 2021, as his return from a lengthy hiatus.

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Big blow for Team Spain

Team Spanish suffered a major blow ahead of the tournament in Syndey. Spain’s pride, Rafael Nadal has decided to pull out from next year’s ATP Cup. In both their previous editions, the former World No. 1 has been a leader for Team Spain.

Moreover, the rising star of the country, Carlos Alcaraz, has also confirmed his unavailability for the event in Australia. Following this news, Roberto Bautista and Pablo Carreno will take charge of Team Spain at the ATP Cup 2022.

Team Spain led by Nadal majestically reached the finals of last year’s ATP Cup, before losing to Team Serbia. In the 2020 final, Roberto won his singles match against Dusan Lajovic, but Novak Djokovic defeated Rafa in their singles encounter. Serbia also won the doubles match against Spain, and thus, took home the inaugural ATP Cup trophy.

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Rafael Nadal sends a warm message ahead of his exhibition match

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Rafael Nadal retired from this season in August 2021 due to a persistent foot injury. He will soon be making his comeback to professional tennis after almost four-months of recovery. Nadal will be next seen in action at the Mudabala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi, starting on December 16.

Ahead of the exhibition match in Abu Dhabi, the former World No. sent a lovely message to fans across the globe. “Hello everyone, Rafa here! I’m very happy to be back at the Mubadala World Championship in Abu Dhabi. I hope to see you there,” he said as he prepares to train for the competition.

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Tennis fans across the world are excited to witness the majestic skills of the Spaniard on a tennis court one more time. How excited are you to see Rafael Nadal back in action?

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Atri Bhatt is a Tennis author at EssentiallySports. He is pursuing his Master's degree in Sports Management from Deakin University, Australia. In addition to critically analysing the game, he also plays tennis professionally.

Sad News for Rafael Nadal and Team Spain Fans for ATP Cup 2022

Big blow for Team Spain

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Rafael Nadal sends a warm message ahead of his exhibition match