Bob Bryan on Rafael Nadal the doubles player: “The ultimate competitor”

At 46 years old, with ample distance from tennis’ physical and mental rigors, Bob Bryan may not relish the thought of playing Rafael Nadal this week at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, Spain. But I bet he hopes to coach against him. Such a scenario would mean the U.S. captain’s team would be in the final.

“It’s a great swan song,” Bryan told me last week, before he headed overseas to the season-ending event. “In a packed house and maybe playing with [Carlos] Alcaraz again.”

⬆️ WATCH ABOVE: Nadal arrives in Málaga for Davis Cup—the final tournament of his career (Live on Tennis Channel, Tuesday noon ET)

Nadal and Alcaraz—better known as Nadalcaraz—are expected to reunite in doubles after their first, hotly anticipated go-around in the Summer Olympics at Roland Garros. The popular and passionate Spaniards won two matches before falling to Team USA’s Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram. Sitting in the stands that day? Coach Bob.

“They were getting better and better in Paris,” Bryan recalls. “I know Nadal was trying to teach Carlitos how to really play doubles. Maybe if they got past our guys in the quarters, they might have won the gold.”

Nadal’s accomplishments in singles are legendary, but he’s had a doubles career that all but a few players—Bryan one of them—would trade theirs for. He’s won 11 titles on tour, including three Masters 1000s (2008 Monte Carlo, with Tommy Robredo; 2010 and 2012 Indian Wells, both with Marc Lopez). Nadal also teamed with Lopez to win Olympic doubles gold at the 2016 Rio Games.

He also has a win over the greatest doubles team ever, the Bryan Brothers. That came in Nadal’s last match against Bob and Mike—who won 16-time Grand Slam champions as team—in the 2016 Beijing semis. (Nadal and Pablo Carreno Busta would go on to win the tournament, which would be Rafa’s final doubles title.)

But the Bryans won all six of their prior meetings with Rafa.

“Luckily for us, he played with all Spanish guys,” Bob says. “So there were some guys that we can pick on that weren’t as confident at the net.”

Even so, Nadal’s acumen on the doubles court made up some of what he may have been conceding with his choice of partner.

“He’s really active,” Bryan says of Nadal the doubles player. “He’s always moving up there which makes for, you know, a good doubles partner. He’s close to the net, so it’s hard to find the geometry a lot of the times. It’s a guy that’s gonna be a tough out for you every time.”

Given Nadal’s propensity to play with his compatriots, it’s fitting that he’ll likely leave the game alongside a partner clad in Spain’s red and yellow. And should they see red, white and blue across the next, Bryan and the Americans won’t take the 38-year-old lightly.

“Rafa’s the ultimate competitor, doesn’t matter what event it is, singles, doubles, mixed,” Bryan says. “He’s gonna come at you, you know, he’s gonna be doing those kangaroo hops at the net. He’s gonna be sprinting back to the baseline in the warm-up.

“Always a tough out, never easy.”