WATCH: Rafael Nadal gears up for final tournament of career at Davis Cup Finals 2024 with 1st practice session in Malaga

Rafael Nadal was recently seen practicing on the courts in Malaga ahead of his final tournament of his career, the 2024 Davis Cup Finals. Last month, the Spanish tennis legend had announced that he will retire from the sport after representing Spain at the knockout stages of the Davis Cup Finals.

After overcoming a series of injuries that kept him out of competition in 2023, Nadal made a comeback this year at the 2024 Brisbane International. The 22-time Grand Slam champion's only Grand Slam appearance this year was at the French Open, where he was eliminated in the first round by eventual runner-up Alexander Zverev.

The former World No.1's best performance came at the Nordea Open in Bastad, Sweden, where he reached the final but fell short of securing the title to Nuno Borges . He last competed at the exhibition tournament, the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The 2024 Davis Cup knockout stage matches are scheduled to take place from November 19 to November 24 at the Martin Carpena Arena in Malaga, Spain. The Spanish team will include players like Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Marcel Granollers, Roberto Bautista Agut and Pablo Carreno Busta, with David Ferrer as the captain.

Spain will face the Netherlands in the quarterfinals, with the winner advancing to play either Germany or Canada in the semifinals

Most recently, the official social media account of the Davis Cup shared a video of Rafael Nadal during his first practice session in Malaga ahead of beginning his campaign against the Netherlands.

Watch the video here :

Rafael Nadal: "Very excited that my last tournament will be the final of the Davis Cup"

The Spaniard at a press conference [Source: Getty]

In his retirement announcement video, Rafael Nadal revealed that he would represent Spain at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals before bidding farewell to his tennis career.

The Spaniard stated that he is excited to compete in the Davis Cup one final time and representing his country

"I am very excited that my last tournament will be the final of the Davis Cup and representing my country. I think I’ve come full circle, since one of my first great joys as a professional tennis player was the Davis Cup final in Seville in 2004," he said.

Nadal has had an incredible Davis Cup career, winning the tournament four times with Spain. The last of these came in 2019, when he beat Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 7-6(7) to secure victory for his country.