Rafael Nadal will likely not feature for Spain in the Davis Cup quarter-finals in April after sharing schedule plans in the aftermath of his win against Paolo Lorenzi in Acapulco.
“After Acapulco I will play in Indian Wells and Miami, then I will have two weeks off to prepare the most important part of the season for me. All the tournaments that I play are important, but it´s clear that Monte Carlo and Roland Garros are even more important.”
Though Nadal does not explicitly mention the Davis Cup, according to his statement, he will not play events for two weeks after the opening two Masters 1000 events of the year in Indian Wells and Miami, a period in which the Davis Cup falls. The next round of the Davis Cup, the quarter-final stage, will see Spain take on a Serbia potentially led by World No.2 Novak Djokovic in Belgrade.
Spain has an abundance of Top 100 players that could fill in for Nadal, with Roberto Bautista Agut, David Ferrer, Feliciano Lopez, and Pablo Carreno Busta all capable replacements. A Spain team anchored by Bautista Agut and Carreno Busta narrowly edged a second string Croatia side missing Marin Cilic in the first round. Franko Skugor, Mate Pavic, and Nikola Mektic all gave strong performances in the singles, despite all three having rankings well outside the Top 100.
Spain won, but were pushed hard, as Skugor shocked Carreno Busta in a five set opening rubber, before also taking the doubles. Spain eventually ran out 3-2 winners.
From Nadal’s point of view, the decision to take a break is probably a wise one, as the upcoming European clay season is important for him, and he was forced to retire from Roland Garros last year through injury, so some additional rest ahead of an undoubtedly hectic period is sensible.
Nadal has played a part in four Davis Cup successes for Spain since 2004, winning in 2004, 2008, 2009, and 2011.
