RAFAEL NADAL has confirmed his retirement from tennis after an incredible career.
The Spaniard, 38, won 22 Grand Slams including a staggering 14 at his beloved French Open.
Mil gracias a todos
Many thanks to all
Merci beaucoup à tous
Grazie mille à tutti
谢谢大家
شكرا لكم جميعا
תודה לכולכם
Obrigado a todos
Vielen Dank euch allen
Tack alla
Хвала свима
Gràcies a tots pic.twitter.com/7yPRs7QrOi— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) October 10, 2024
But he has called time after struggling with injuries in recent years.
Nadal will make his final appearance as a professional at next month’s Davis Cup finals in Malaga in front of an adoring home crowd.
The tennis superstar – who bows out as one of the all-time greats – shared an emotional five-minute video on social media this morning which was captioned: “Many thanks to all.”
He said: “I am here to let you know I am retiring from professional tennis.
“The reality is that it has been some difficult years, the last two especially.
“I don’t think I have been able to play without limitations.”
Nadal secured his first Grand Slam on his debut at the French Open in 2005, two days after his 19th birthday.
Incredibly, he won his first 31 matches at Roland Garros and picked up the trophy in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022.
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Nadal retires with a ridiculous 112-4 win-loss record at his beloved tournament.
Despite being a natural clay-court expert thanks to his Spanish upbringing, Nadal won Wimbledon in 2008.
He lost the 2006 and 2007 finals to Roger Federer before eventually beating his great rival in 2008 in arguably the best tennis match ever.
Nadal secured his maiden Australian Open in 2009 then completed the Career Grand Slam in 2010 by winning the US Open – adding to his French Open and Wimbledon titles that year.
It is fitting he says goodbye flying the flag for Spain having won Olympic gold medals in singles and doubles as well as securing five Davis Cup triumphs for his nation.
Nadal added: “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 ever have imagined.
“I’m very excited that my last tournament will be the final of the Davis Cup and representing my country.”
Injuries and physical struggles took their toll throughout his career, particularly in his knees and his foot, but his dominance as the King of Clay continued.
A resurgence from 2017 saw him win four more French Opens in a row while adding two US Opens and reaching two Australian Open finals and two Wimbledon semis.
Then in 2022, Nadal came from two sets down in the Australian Open final to beat Daniil Medvedev and beat Novak Djokovic on his way to French Open No14.
An abdominal injury forced him to withdraw from Wimbledon before his semi-final with Nick Kyrgios – and that gruelling win over Taylor Fritz in the quarters would prove to be the last time he took to the famous All England Club lawns.
An early defeat in Australia last year was followed by a brutal first-round draw against Alexander Zverev in his French Open farewell this year.
Nadal hinted at the end of 2023 that this season would be his final year on the tour – especially now he has welcomed a baby son with his wife.
And so it has proven.
Nadal spent 209 weeks ranked as the world No1, has won 1080 singles matches, collected 92 titles and earned £103million in prize money on the court.
But even the absurd numbers – including 912 consecutive weeks inside the world’s top ten – only tell half the story of a man who, along with Federer and Djokovic, made up the greatest era of tennis.
Nadal teamed up with Federer in doubles at the Laver Cup two years ago when the Swiss maestro drew the curtain on his exceptional career.
Now the Spaniard, synonymous with his bulging biceps, roaring celebrations and biting his trophies, may well sign off sharing the court with Carlos Alcaraz, the heir to Rafa’s throne.
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