Alex de Minaur in massive Davis Cup boost for Australia as photo hints at Rafa Nadal bombshell

Alex de Minaur has been included in Australia's Davis Cup squad for this week's finals in Malaga, while a photo of him practicing with Rafa Nadal has sent the rumour mill into overdrive. De Minaur was seen wincing in pain when he lost to Taylor Fritz at the ATP Finals on Sunday, throwing his participation in the Davis Cup finals into massive doubt.

But the World No.9 was included on Australia's team sheet when the squads were finalised on Monday (local time), meaning he's set to play and battle through the pain of his hip issue. De Minaur first suffered the injury at Wimbledon in July and hasn't managed to get back to full fitness yet.

But his presence in Australia's team will be a huge boost for Lleyton Hewitt's men as they battle the United States for a place in the semis. Max Purcell is a surprise omission from Hewitt's squad, which also includes Alexei Popyrin, Thanasi Kokkinakis and Jordan Thompson.

Purcell has formed a successful doubles duo with Ebden in the last few Davis Cup ties, but has been playing with Thompson at tour level. Purcell and Thompson won the US Open title earlier this year and qualified for the ATP Finals doubles tournament, but it looks like Thompson and Ebden will team up against the US in Malaga.

Will Rafa Nadal be playing singles or doubles or neither?

Meanwhile, Nadal has been confirmed as a member of Spain's team for what will be the final tournament of his storied career, but what role he plays remains to be seen. There's been suggestions he'll only play doubles after having some recent success with Carlos Alcaraz, but a photo of him practicing with de Minaur has sparked theories he'll be playing singles too.

Nadal has a 29-1 record in his Davis Cup singles career. His only loss came way back in 2004 on his Davis Cup debut against Jiri Novak of the Czech Republic - and he's won all 29 matches since.

"Rafa has been practicing an awful lot in singles," Jim Courier said on Tennis Channel on Monday. "And he's been practicing for the last month with no pain in his abdomen. His little scrimmage with Alex de Minaur sounds like he's prepping for singles more than doubles to me."

Fellow American great Andy Roddick said Nadal might be a better singles match-up to tackle the Netherlands than Roberto Bautista Agut. "But he's so humble that he'll do whatever (captain) David Ferrer asks of him," Roddick added. "Selfishly, I want to see Rafa in the singles." Courier added: "He's a team-first guy and he's going to do whatever is right for the team and for his captain David Ferrer."

Courier also pointed out how unusual it was in Davis Cup for rivals to be practicing together. It's commonplace outside of team events, but not so much in Davis Cup. "Obviously with Australia on the other side of the draw they (Nadal and Spain) felt safe to do that," Courier said.

RELATED:

• Sam Stosur call backfires as Katie Boulter stars in Billie Jean King Cup

• Fans rally around Jelena Dokic after Aussie star's awful new reveal

When are the Davis Cup finals and how to watch

Nadal and Spain will kick off the Davis Cup finals on Tuesday night against the Netherlands, while Australia and the US don't play until November 21 (Thursday 8pm Australian time). All matches will be shown on the Tennis Channel online (which requires a subscription), while Australia's ties will be broadcast on the Nine Network.

Australia and Spain will only play each other in Malaga if they both reach the tournament final. If the Aussies get past the US they will face the winner of Italy and Argentina in the semis, while the winner of Spain and Netherlands will face whoever advances out of Germany and Canada.

"I'm not here to retire. I'm here to help the team win," Nadal said. "It's my last week in a team competition, and the most important thing is to help the team. The emotions will come later. I'm enjoying the week. I'm not putting too much attention to the retirement. It will be a big change in my life after this week."