Rafael Nadal waves to the crowd

Rafael Nadal has confirmed he is hoping to retire at next month’s Davis Cup Finals, but doubts are emerging over whether the 22-time Grand Slam winning legend will be fit to take to the court in Malaga.

Nadal looked a long way short of his best as he lost against Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic in the Six Kings Slam event in Saudi Arabia last weekend, with his serving well off the pace in the exhibition event.

He has also given a hint that while he hopes to play a part in the Davis Cup Finals that will be played in front of his adoring Spanish fans, he is unsure whether his body will allow him to perform.

“Emotionally, I’m sure I’ll be ready. Physically and in terms of tennis level, there remains a month left to prepare,” Nadal said after losing to Alcaraz on in Riyhad.

“I will try to be in good shape to help the team to win. If I don’t feel ready for the singles, I’ll be the first one to say.

“Be 100% sure, I will not be on court if I don’t feel ready to win my match.”

Now his long-time coach Carlos Moya has thrown additional doubts into the mix after he admitted Nadal was nervous playing his ‘last match’ against Djokovic at the Six Kings Slam.

“I guess he was a bit nervous playing his last match,” said Moya in a TV interview. “Probably against his biggest enemy and rival.

“There were a lot of emotions and I guess it is normal that he was a bit nervous at the beginning. It’s great to be here and to be playing Novak is a great experience for them.”

Djokovic claimed a final win over Rafael Nadal at the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Riyadh.

The great rivals contested a record 60 competitive clashes during their careers, with Djokovic leading 31-29, but there will be no more after Nadal announced last week that he will retire following the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga next month.

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Whether he will play singles there remains to be seen, so this 6-2 7-6 (5) defeat may have been a final hurrah for the 38-year-old.

There were some vintage Nadal moments, including several crowd-pleasing forehands down the line, and the Spaniard had a big smile on his face at the end.

Speaking on court to Djokovic, he said: “It has been an amazing rivalry. In a personal way, I have to say that you helped me to go over my limits during almost 15 years. So thank you for that because without that probably I will not be the player that I am today.

“It has been a dream come true to be able to play for almost 20 years being competitive and having the chance to play in the best places in the world.

“I have the utmost respect for you: incredible athlete, incredible person.

“The rivalry has been incredible and has been very intense, so I hope that we’ll have a chance to maybe sit on the beach somewhere and maybe have a little drink and reflect on life, talking about something else.

“I will finish with one big thank you, from not just me, but all of the tennis world for what you have done. You left an incredible legacy and we really appreciate it.

“Don’t leave tennis man, stay a little bit longer, stay with us.”