At the Málaga airport, Alan Bailey, a "finance entrepreneur" from California, explains that as soon as he found out that Rafa Nadal would play his last match, he bought a complete package for the Davis Cup Finals, including tickets for the entire week and meals in the hospitality area. He paid "about 40,000 dollars" to an agency, and like him, the other 50 Americans accompanying him, mostly around 60 years old, who made a stop in Barcelona. "It's a unique moment in world sports, I couldn't miss it," he says happily as he heads to the hotel, extending an invitation to visit him during the Indian Wells Masters 1000 and asking if Nadal will play singles or doubles. As confirmed by EL MUNDO this Tuesday, he will finally play solo in the first match against Botic van de Zandschulp (5:00 p.m., Movistar)
Nadalmania in Málaga is in full swing. In front of the Martín Carpena arena stands a sign that reads "Thank you, Rafa," decorating the facade of the athletics stadium, and all over the city, his farewell is announced, but the excitement goes beyond that. Groups of foreign visitors fill the hotels and terraces, eagerly awaiting the 22-time Grand Slam winner to step onto the court. They are the ones who, even before Nadal's official announcement, rushed to buy tickets and VIP packages to be present at the event.
"There were two ticket sales booms. The first was when David Ferrer [the Spanish team captain] announced that Nadal would be part of the team. Then the maximum madness came a couple of weeks later with the announcement of his retirement. Our website crashed, needless to say, everything is more than sold out," says Feliciano López, the director of the Finals, to EL MUNDO, who knows he is leading "one of the most important events of this year in world sports." The original ticket prices ranged from 40 to 200 euros per session, but now the amounts have skyrocketed to illogical levels. There are no scalpers on the streets near the arena, probably due to the extensive police presence in the area, but on specialized websites, tickets can be found for 30,000, 40,000, 50,000, and even 70,000 euros.
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"I have received many calls from friends, and they weren't asking for invitations, they were simply asking for help to buy tickets. It's been a bit crazy, but I didn't expect anything different; a historic event is about to unfold here," adds López, who urges the journalist to take a seat in the press room early because it has become too small. Although the Martín Carpena arena has hosted Euroleague games, NBA games, some of Nadal's exhibitions, and even the Goya Awards, it has never seen anything like this. "We could have filled three press rooms like this one. We had to reject many accreditation requests," points out the former tennis player, who also mentions two curious details: they had rented a VIP tent that had to be doubled in size, and there will be several legends in the VIP box.
"I know Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray will come. As for Roger Federer, I have no information, honestly," López concludes, his excitement evident. "There are many incredible coincidences. Sometimes you can't imagine what life has planned for you. I remember perfectly when Rafa made his Davis Cup debut with me in the Czech Republic, how young he was, the impression he made on me. Who would have thought that he would retire in the Davis Cup with 22 Grand Slam titles and that I would be the tournament director?"
López's only concerns are that Nadal enjoys his final matches and, of course, that the tournament infrastructure can withstand the pressure. The organization has prepared a tribute "worthy of the occasion" and has had to make many adjustments. For example, the Spanish team is staying at the five-star closed complex Hotel Higuerón in Fuengirola, away from the city's hustle and bustle. There, Nadal rests with Carlos Alcaraz, Roberto Bautista, and company, awaiting his final matches amidst the "maximum madness" unleashed in Málaga these days.