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"I've been doing this for the last four years
with Madrid and in the beginning it was a big challenge for me,"
Lopez told Reuters. "I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to
do it, since I was an active player when I decided to join the
team in Madrid.
"But I have to say that it is the best decision I've ever made.
I was able to still play on the tour, be competitive, and also
be on the other side of the industry and learn a lot of things
that I wasn't paying attention to as a player."
Lopez, who exited the Stuttgart Open in the second round on
Monday, said he plans to compete at more grasscourt events at
the Queen's Club and the Mallorca Open and hopes to end his
career at Wimbledon, should he get a wildcard for the major.
"After that, I'll be free," Lopez said. "No more tennis, and I
can focus on the Davis Cup."
Sixteen teams will compete in the Finals group stage from Sept.
12-17 across Manchester, Bologna, Valencia and Croatia. The top
two teams from each group will qualify for the knockout stage
from Nov. 21-26 in Malaga.
Lopez's compatriot Rafa Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion,
has been sidelined by a hip injury since January and had
initially hoped to return for the Finals but is expected to be
out for another five months after undergoing surgery in June.
Lopez said he hoped Nadal, who has said 2024 is likely to be his
last season, will make a full recovery and return to court next
year.
"I want Rafa to finish his career playing tennis, which is the
thing that he loves the most, and I think he deserves that,"
Lopez said. "It will be very sad to see Rafa not playing any
more tennis.
"I just hope he has plenty of time to recover. Hopefully we're
going to see him again in 2024."
(Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Hyderabad, editing by Pritha
Sarkar)
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