Rafael Nadal, one of the greatest men’s tennis players of all time, will retire from the sport after participating in the upcoming 2024 Davis Cup Finals.
The event takes place in Malaga in Nadal’s native Spain, and he and his compatriots will be gunning for the nation’s seventh Davis Cup title.
2023 winners Italy are also in the running as they bid for a successful defence with the tournament now involving just the final eight remaining countries.
Here’s everything you need to know.
When are the 2024 Davis Cup Finals?
The Finals begin on Tuesday, November 19 with the final taking place on Sunday, November 24.
Which countries are in the 2024 Davis Cup Finals?
At this stage, we are now down to eight nations:
- Italy (defending champions)
- Spain (hosts)
- United States
- Canada
- Netherlands
- Australia
- Germany
- Argentina
2024 Davis Cup Finals format: how it works
The eight countries have been drawn into knockout brackets, with four quarterfinals set to determine two semifinals and, lastly, the 2024 final.
The quarter-finals are as follows:
- Spain vs. Netherlands
- Canada vs. Germany
- United States vs. Australia
- Italy vs. Argentina
All QF, SF and final matches will take place on indoor hard courts at the Martin Carpena Arena in Malaga.
Each match will be decided by the best of three “rubbers”, with “rubber” meaning an individual tennis contest between either two singles competitors or two doubles pairs.
Within each match there will be two singles rubbers and one doubles rubber.
2024 Davis Cup Finals schedule, confirmed rubber match-ups
Nov. 19: Netherlands vs. Spain (quarterfinal)
- Van de Zandschulp vs. Nadal
- Griekspoor vs. Alcaraz
- Griekspoor/Koolhof vs. Granollers/Martinez
Nov. 20: Germany vs. Canada (quarterfinal)
- Altmaier vs. Raonic
- Struff vs. Strapovalov
- Krawietz/Putz vs. Galarneau/Pospisil
Nov. 21: United States vs. Australia (quarterfinal)
- Paul vs. Thompson
- Fritz vs. Popyrin
- Ram/Krajicek vs. Purcell/Ebden
Nov. 21: Italy vs. Argentina (quarterfinal)
- Musetti vs. Cerundolo
- Sinner vs. Baez
- Bolelli/Vavassori vs. Gonzalez/Molteni
Nov. 22: Netherlands/Spain vs. Germany/Canada (semifinal)
- Participating nations and rubbers TBC
Nov. 23: USA/Australia vs. Italy/Argentina (semifinal)
- Participating nations and rubbers TBC
Nov. 24: SF1 winner vs. SF2 winner (final)
- Participating nations and rubbers TBC
Which players are at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals? Full roster list
| Nation | Players* | Captain** |
| Italy | Jannik Sinner, Lorenzo Musetti, Flavio Cobolli, Andrea Vavassori, Simeone Bolelli | Filippo Volandri |
| Spain | Carlos Alcarez, Pedro Martinez, Roberto Bautista Agut, Rafael Nadal, Marcel Granollers | David Ferrer |
| United States | Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton, Rajeev Ram, Austin Krajicek | Bob Bryan |
| Canada | Denis Shapovalov, Gabriel Diallo, Alexis Galarneau, Milos Raonic, Vasek Pospisil | Frank Dancevic |
| Netherlands | Tallon Griekspoor, Botic van de Zandschulp, Jesper de Jong, Wesley Koolhof | Paul Haarhuis |
| Australia | Alexei Popyrin, Jordan Thompson, Thanasi Kolkkinakis, Max Purcell, Matthew Ebden | Lleyton Hewitt |
| Germany | Jan-Lennard Struff, Daniel Altmaier, Yannick Hanfmann, Kevin Krawietz, Tim Putz | Michael Kohlmann |
| Argentina | Sebastian Baez, Francisco Cerundolo, Tomas Martin Etcheverry, Andres Molteni, Maximo Gonzalez | Guillermo Coria |
*Each nation selects a squad of players for the Finals, usually consisting of five men’s players. However, as demonstrated by the Netherlands this year, they may also select only four.
**Each squad is skippered by a non-competing captain, who is usually a retired former player. Notable names such as Lleyton Hewitt and Bob Bryan are among this year’s Finals captains.