Rafael Nadal will play Botic van de Zandschulp in Davis Cup. Is it the right move?

UPDATE: About an hour before Spain's quarterfinal tie with The Netherlands, captain David Ferrer confirmed that Rafael Nadal will play first singles against Botic van de Zandschulp. Rafa is 2-0 against the Dutchman, with straight-set wins at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 2022.

History is in the making in Malaga, where Rafael Nadal will play his final professional event in Davis Cup this week. As long as Spain remains in the tournament, all eyes and cameras and microphones will be pointed squarely in Rafa’s direction.

Nadal and his teammates will begin against The Netherlands on Tuesday. There’s some history there, too: 20 years ago, a 17-year-old Nadal played in a tie against the Dutch; he lost in doubles, but Spain rolled to a 4-1 win anyway. By the end of that year, Rafa was the star singles player on a Cup-winning team, and his career was launched.

Two decades later, he understands that Spain’s efforts take precedence over his personal final act.

“I’m not here for retiring,” Nadal says of his reason for playing. “I’m here to try to help the team.”

That leaves his captain, David Ferrer, with a tricky question to answer: What is the best way for Rafa to help Spain win their seventh Cup of this century? Should he be the No. 2 singles player behind Carlos Alcaraz? Or should he play doubles, with either Alcaraz, Marcel Granollers, Roberto Bautista Agut, or Pedro Martinez?

On the one hand, Rafa is 29-1 in singles in Davis Cup, and has been part of all of Spain’s titles. On the other hand, he’s currently ranked 155th, and he mostly struggled this season. Two of his teammates, Martinez and Bautista Agut, are ranked 42nd and 46th, respectively.

With Alcaraz going up against Netherlands No. 1 Tallon Griekspoor, Spain’s No. 2 singles player will likely face 80th-ranked Botic Van de Zandschulp. Martinez has never played him, Bautista Agut is 0-1 against him, and Nadal is 2-0. It’s tempting to give Rafa the nod, but I think Bautista Agut, who is 15-7 in singles in Davis Cup, played well when the team won in 2019, and has had a resurgence this fall, makes the most sense in singles at the moment.

Which makes doubles a logical place for Rafa. Shot-making, rather than stamina, is paramount in doubles, and that’s where Nadal can still shine. He and Alcaraz had a good run at the Olympics this summer, but the 38-year-old Granollers is appealing as well, because he is a long-time standout in doubles. He has been ranked No. 1 in the world in doubles as recently as this summer, and is currently No. 3. He and Rafa might make the better team.

Of course, Alcaraz-Granollers, one Top 5 in singles, the other Top 5 in doubles, isn’t a bad-sounding duo, either. The choice may come down to how much captain Ferrer cares about getting Rafa into the lineup. I’m sure he would love to, but I’m also sure he’d love to win even more.

And I think that Rafa, of all people, will understand that.

WATCH: Spain face the Netherlands Nov. 19 not before 11 a.m. ET on Tennis Channel or stream on our app