Rafael Nadal has been named in Spain’s team for the Davis Cup Finals in November and there is a growing expectation that it could be his last event as a professional.

Nadal – who has won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, including 14 at the French Open – has previously suggested the current season would be his last.

The 38-year-old has not played since the Paris Olympics, where he reached the quarter-finals of the men’s doubles alongside Carlos Alcaraz, and subsequently withdrew from the US Open and then also last week’s Laver Cup in Berlin.

World number three Alcaraz is also in the Spain team named by captain David Ferrer, alongside Roberto Bautista, Pablo Carreno and Marcel Granollers.

“He (Nadal) told me about his desire to be in Malaga if we qualify,” Ferrer said at the Spanish team press conference on Monday.

“Everything was very easy because it was he who from the beginning wanted to be in the finals.

“There are still two months left and all the players who are on the list have to compete and see how they are, but the good thing is that there are many possibilities to combine doubles depending on physical exhaustion or how the tie is going.

“I spoke to Rafa before we started competing in Valencia and before we qualified.

“He told me a little about the idea and how much he wanted to be in the Finals if we qualified. The next day or two days after we qualified we spoke and his idea was to be prepared and excited to be in Malaga.

“It was very easy and he was the one who started it and wanted to be in the finals from the very beginning.”

Ferrer was also asked whether he would be open to the prospect of putting Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz back together on a doubles doubt at the Davis Cup Finals and he appeared to be open to the idea.

“I don’t know. There are two months left, everyone on the list has to compete,” he added.

“I couldn’t say right now. The good thing is that there are many possibilities of combining doubles depending on physical exhaustion, how the tie goes.

“We have a very strong team to achieve important things, but in this format, the competition evens out a lot.

“They (Nadal and Alcaraz) have a very good doubles team. You might have two good singles players, but if you lose one, things get much more complicated. Furthermore, it’s a very tough tournament, with the top eight players in the world.”

Spain’s former Davis Cup star Feliciano Lopez is tournament director for the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga and he admits the presence of a Spanish team on home soil will add to the specticle this year.

“Last year was tough, things didn’t go well in Valencia, David wasn’t lucky enough to have the best players,” said Lopez.

“This year I was very happy with what I saw in Valencia, all the players were at a great level.”

“I have the feeling that some great things are going to happen in Malaga. Last year, even without Spain, the atmosphere was spectacular.

“This year, with Spain, you can imagine what it’s going to be like. We hope to be up to the task of a competition like this.”

If Spain could win the Davis Cup with Nadal playing a part in their success, it would appear to be the ideal way for the 22-time Grand Slam legend to end his career.

Yet Nadal’s lack of competitive action in recent months suggests Ferrer’s decision-making process over where Nadal fits into his team will need to be a blend of sentiment and realism as he looks to win the Davis Cup for the first time as Spain captain.