Rafael Nadal announced his imminent retirement from tennis on Thursday at the age of 38 after winning 22 Grand Slam titles during an unprecedented era that he shared with his rivals in the so-called Big Three, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
Nadal said he will retire after the Davis Cup finals next month.
“In reality, everything I went through was a dream come true,” Nadal said in a social media announcement. “I leave with peace of mind because I did my best and tried in every way.”
The Spaniard indicated that his decision was related to ongoing injury problems.
“The truth is that they have been difficult years, especially the last two years. I don’t think I have been able to play without restrictions. It is obviously a difficult decision, and it took some time to make. But in this life, everything has a beginning and an end,” Nadal said.
Nadal’s tough, physical style of play – pursuing every point as if it were his last, sprinting and sliding into place for that high-rebounding left forehand – has made him one of the game’s greats and the undisputed king of clay. The slow red surface on which he won his record 14th French Open.
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That’s more than anyone, man or woman, has won any of the sport’s four major championships, a dominance celebrated by the statue of Nadal that stands near the main entrance to Roland Garros and in the shadow of the main court. Philippe Chatrier.
Nadal also won four titles at the US Open and two at Wimbledon and the Australian Open, giving him a Grand Slam title. His last doubles arrived in 2022, in Melbourne in January and in Paris in June, moving him past Federer for the men’s record of 20 Grand Slam titles. Federer announced his retirement at the age of 41 at the end of the 2022 season, shortly before he bid farewell by partnering Nadal in a doubles match in the Laver Cup.
Djokovic, who is up to 24, has since surpassed both.
“I want to thank the entire tennis industry, all the people involved in this sport, my old teammates, and especially my great rivals,” Nadal said amid pictures of himself playing against Federer and Djokovic. “I spent many hours with them and lived many moments that I will remember for the rest of my life.”
Much of Nadal’s success has been seen, fair or not, through his clashes with Federer and Djokovic. The tennis world, and much beyond it, has been busy debating which player deserves the title of “The GOAT” – “the greatest of all time”.
The world, both in tennis and beyond, was fascinated by their different matches, styles and personalities. Who among those who witnessed it could forget Nadal vs. Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon final? Or Nadal vs. Djokovic in the quarter-finals of the French Open 2022? Or Nadal vs. Djokovic in the 2012 Australian Open final? And so on.
Nadal added on Thursday that he is excited to end his career in the Davis Cup, which will be held in Malaga, Spain.
“I am very excited because my last tournament will be the Davis Cup final and to represent my country,” he said. “I think I’ve come full circle since one of my first joys as a professional tennis player was the Davis Cup final in Seville in 2004.”
Nadal has not played since the Paris Olympics, where he lost to his old rival Djokovic in the second round of the singles tournament, and reached the quarter-finals in the men’s doubles with Carlos Alcaraz.
“I believe this is the right time to put an end to my career, which has been longer and more successful than I could have ever imagined,” he said.
Associated Press writers Joseph Wilson, Tils Azzoni and James Illingworth contributed to this report.
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