Tickets for potential Rafael Nadal farewell in Davis Cup selling for more than £17,000 despite no guarantee he will play

The 38-year-old retires from tennis this week at the Davis Cup Finals, with it yet to be decided what role he plays in Spain's bid to lift the trophy for a seventh time.

Spain face the Netherlands in a quarter-final on Tuesday and, should they lose on home soil in Malaga, that will be the end of Nadal's career.

Fans have therefore been keen to snap up tickets but will be forced to splash out to do so ahead of what is set to be an emotional afternoon at the Martin Carpena Arena.

The most expensive tickets on resale site Viagogo are available for £17,622, with even the cheapest costing more than £250.

Those in attendance on Tuesday face a nervous wait to see whether David Ferrer does opt to use Nadal against the Netherlands.

The Spaniard has played only event since the Olympics, an exhibition in Saudi Arabia last month, and there are doubts over whether he is fit enough to play a singles match.

"Sport is not mathematics and you can't predict what will happen," Nadal said earlier this week, admitting he does not know how involved he will be this week.

"I'm going to enjoy myself as much as possible both on the court and if I have to be on the sidelines.

"There are no ideal endings. Ideal endings usually happen in American movies. It's not something that worries me in that sense. My farewell is going to be what it's going to be."