Rafael Nadal retired after the Davis Cup. It's a rare team event in tennis

MALAGA, Spain (AP) — Rafael Nadal wanted to play his last match before retiring in Spain, representing Spain and wearing the red uniform used by Spain's Davis Cup squad. “The feeling to play for your country, the feeling to play for your teammates ... when you win, everybody...

AP Week in Pictures: Global

Nov. 15-21, 2024 A new volcanic eruption started on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland. Indigenous communities attended the COP29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan. A Palestinian girl waited for food, in Deir al-Balah, on Gaza Strip. An...

Jannik Sinner leads Italy back to the Davis Cup semifinals and a rematch against Australia

MALAGA, Spain (AP) — No. 1-ranked Jannik Sinner won matches in singles and doubles to lead defending champion Italy to a 2-1 comeback victory over Argentina on Thursday, earning a return trip to the Davis Cup semifinals. “I’m here trying to do the best I can in the singles,”...

Spain and tennis having to cope with the retirement of the great Nadal

MALAGA, Spain (AP) — As Rafael Nadal prepared to serve in what turned out to be the last tennis match of his career, a woman's voice broke the silence from the stands: “You make Spain proud!” Not long after that, Nadal was wiping away tears from his face and waving goodbye to...

Jasmine Paolini and Italy beat Slovakia to win the Billie Jean King Cup

MALAGA, Spain (AP) — Two-time Grand Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini capped a breakthrough season by leading Italy to its first Billie Jean King Cup title since 2013 on Wednesday, defeating Rebecca Sramkova 6-2, 6-1 to seal a 2-0 victory over Slovakia in the final of the women’s team competition....

Jasmine Paolini clinches Italy's first Billie Jean King Cup title since 2013 with a victory over Slovakia in the final

Rafael Nadal's legacy is a relentlessness that inspired Carlos Alcaraz and plenty of others

MALAGA, Spain (AP) — Not surprisingly, Rafael Nadal couldn’t take a step around the grounds of the Davis Cup Final 8 in recent days without hearing requests for a handshake or a selfie. And that was just from the other professional tennis players, to speak nothing of the fans. ...

From Novak Djokovic to Iga Swiatek, players reflect on Rafael Nadal's career and retirement

MALAGA, Spain (AP) — As Rafael Nadal retires from tennis, current and former players — from Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic to Iga Swiatek and Taylor Fritz and so many more — have been sharing their thoughts on what the owner of 22 Grand Slam titles meant to them and to their sport. ...

An emotional Rafael Nadal retires at the Davis Cup after he loses and Spain is eliminated

MALAGA, Spain (AP) — Rafael Nadal bit his lower lip and his reddened eyes welled with tears as he stood alongside his Davis Cup teammates for Spain's national anthem Tuesday before what he — and everyone — knew might be the last match of his career. Hours after Nadal's 6-4, 6-4...

A look at Rafael Nadal's 22 Grand Slam titles as he retires after losing in the Davis Cup

MALAGA, Spain (AP) — Rafael Nadal showed up at the French Open for the first time as a teenager in 2005 and left as the champion. He won it for the final time in 2022 at age 36 — his last major championship anywhere. Fittingly, his bookend Grand Slam titles came at Roland Garros,...