The 2024 Davis Cup draws global attention as ‘Tennis Emperor’ Nadal designates it as his retirement stage.

[Star Daily News=Reporter Kim Nana] Coupang Play will exclusively broadcast the ‘2024 Davis Cup’ finals, which will be the last stage before ‘Tennis Emperor’ Rafael Nadal’s retirement, live in Korea.

The Davis Cup is the world’s most prestigious tennis national team competition, often referred to as the ‘World Cup of Tennis’. Starting from the beginning of the year, eight nations that advance through qualifiers and group stages compete in a tournament to determine the champion. In October, Spain’s Nadal announced he would retire after the Davis Cup, marking this event as a prime opportunity to witness his last play, drawing more attention than ever.

Nadal, along with Roger Federer (Switzerland) and Novak Djokovic (Serbia), comprised the ‘Big 3’, leading the golden era of men’s tennis in the 2000s. He claimed 22 Grand Slam titles and a total of 92 singles titles. Particularly dominant on clay courts, he won the ‘Roland Garros (French Open)’ 14 times, earning the nickname ‘King of Clay’.

Coupang Play will host the ▲quarterfinals of Spain, with Nadal, against the Netherlands at 1 AM on the 20th (Wednesday) and the ▲finals at 12 AM on the 25th (Monday). If Spain wins against the Netherlands, additional coverage of Spain’s semifinals will be scheduled to fully showcase Nadal’s ‘Last Dance’ to local tennis fans.

Spain, with world-renowned stars Nadal and the ‘Next Emperor’ Carlos Alcaraz (ranked 3rd), is loved for its passionate and tenacious play. They lifted the Davis Cup trophy in 2019, led by Nadal, and are aiming for a return to the top after five years. Opponents, the Netherlands, emerging as the ‘dark horse’ of the national competition, boast excellent teamwork, featuring rising stars Tallon Griekspoor (ranked 40th) and Botic van de Zandschulp (ranked 81st).

It is also a key point of interest which event Nadal will compete in, singles or doubles, in this quarterfinal. The Davis Cup Finals consist of 3 matches: 2 singles and 1 doubles match, with the team winning two matches first taking victory. At the last Paris Olympics, Nadal teamed up with Alcaraz as part of the Spanish team to reach the quarterfinals in the men’s doubles.

The Davis Cup broadcasts feature veteran tennis commentator Lee In-hwan and former national tennis player Lim Kyu-tae. Lim commented, “The Spanish team is remarkably strong this tournament. It’s exciting to see if Nadal’s choice of a meaningful finish as a national representative will lead to a victory.”

The Davis Cup live broadcast, replays, and highlights can only be accessed on Coupang Play.