 "Rafael Nadal will retire from tennis at the end of the ongoing season, effectively after the Davis Cup final. Image: AP")
Rafael Nadal, the 22-time Grand Slam winner and one of the greatest tennis players of all time, announced his impending retirement from the sport on Wednesday. The 38-year-old said that he will retire from tennis at the end of the ongoing season, effectively after the Davis Cup final.
The Spaniard announced his retirement through a heartfelt video on social media X.
“Hello everyone, I’m here to let you know that I am retiring from professional tennis,” Nadal, who turned professional at the age of 15 in 2001, said in the video. “The reality is that is has been some difficult years, these last two especially. I don’t think I have been able to play without limitations.
“It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make. But in this life, everything has a beginning and an end.
“And I think it’s the appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have ever imagined.”
The Davis Cup knockout phase will be played from 19-24 November.
Glittering tennis career
Nadal is second in the list of men’s tennis players with the highest number of Grand Slams, only behind Novak Djokovic (24). Overall he won 92 career titles and earned a whopping prize money of $134,946,100.
His best came at the French Open in Paris which he won 14 times. He also won the US Open four times, the Australian Open, and the Wimbledon two times. His victory over Roger Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon final is largely regarded as the greatest tennis match of all time.
He completed the Golden Slam at the 2008 Beijing Olympics with the singles gold and also won a doubles gold at Rio 2016. Nadal won five Davis Cup titles with Spain.
He finished five calendar years in tennis as world No.1 and was in the top 10 from 2005 until March last year. Overall, he spent 209 weeks in the No.1 top spot.
His friendship with Federer is quite popular but on the court, they were fierce rivals and Nadal enjoys a 24-16 head-to-head record against Swiss great.
“I always hoped this day would never come. Thank you for the unforgettable memories and all your incredible achievements in the game we love. It’s been an absolute honour," Federer wrote on Instagram while replying to Nadal’s retirement announcement video.
In his announcement video, Nadal also thanked his family, coaching team, support staff, and fans for their support.
“I believe that thanks to him, I have also been able to overcome many situations that have been difficult in my sporting career,” he said while talking about his uncle Toni.
“I can’t thank you enough for what you have made me feel. Everything I have experienced has been a dream come true,” Nadal said about his fans. “I leave with the absolute peace of mind having given my best.”
Injury-plagued career
Nadal has always had injury problems with ankle, wrist, knee, elbow, and abdominal issues forcing him to miss 18 Grand Slams while he withdrew midway through five majors.
But the problems have been more prominent since 2023 as he started spending more time off the pitch. He missed the French Open last year and was beaten in the first round this year by Alexander Zerev.
Overall in the last two seasons, he has only played 23 matches.