Twenty-two time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal has announced his imminent retirement from tennis, confirming that the Davis Cup will be his final tournament.
The 38-year-old - who is currently ranked 158th in the world - has been beset by injuries over the past couple of years, only managing 19 matches on the ATP Tour in the 2024 season.
Nadal's only Grand Slam appearance of the year came at his beloved French Open, where he was beaten in the first round by Alexander Zverev in what was expected to be his Roland-Garros farewell.
The Spaniard also reached the final of the Bastad Open - losing to Nuno Borges - before being beaten by Novak Djokovic in the Paris 2024 Olympics singles competition and reaching the quarter-finals of the men's doubles with Carlos Alcaraz.
After skipping the US Open and Laver Cup, Nadal has confirmed his impending retirement on social media while also announcing that his last competition will be the Davis Cup finals, which take place in November.
"Hello everyone, I'm here to let you know that I am retiring from professional tennis," Nadal said in a video posted on X. "The reality is that it has been some difficult years, these last two especially.
Nadal has "come full circle" as Spaniard confirms tennis retirement
Mil gracias a todos
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) October 10, 2024
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
"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 ad much more successful than I could have ever imagined.
"But I am very excited that my last tournament will be the final of the Davis Cup and representing my country. I think I've come full circle, since one of my first great joys as a professional tennis player was the Davis Cup final in Sevilla in 2004.
"I feel super, super lucky for all the things I've been able to experience. I want to thank the entire tennis industry. All the people involved in this sport: my long-time colleagues, especially my great rivals.
"I have spent many, many hours with them and I have lived many moments that I will remember for the rest of my life. Talking about my team is a little bit more difficult for me, a very important part of my life. They are not just coworkers, they are friends. They have been by my side at all the times I have really needed them.
"Very bad moments, very good moments, moments that I needed to be pushed, moments where they gave me slack. We have lived so much together that it is hard to explain.
"My family is everything to me. My mother, I think she has made all the sacrifices she had to make so that we would always have everything. My wife, Mery, we've been together for 19 years, thank you for everything you have done. I think you've been the perfect travel companion during all these years of career.
"To come home and see how my son is growing every day has been a force that has really kept me alive and with the necessary energy to continue. My sister, I think we have always had an incredible relationship. My uncle, who is the reason I started playing tennis. I believe that thanks to him, I have also been able to overcome many situations that have been difficult in my sporting career.
"And to my father, who I believe has been a source of inspiration for me in every sense of the word. I think he has been an example of effort, of overcoming. Many, many thanks to my father in a very special way.
"And finally, you, the fans. I can't thank you enough for what you have made me feel. You have given me the energy I have needed at every moment. Really, everything I have experienced has been a dream come true.
"I leave with the absolute piece of mind of having given my best of having made an effort in every way. I can only end by saying, a thousand thanks to all, and see you soon."
Rafael Nadal's glittering career: A breakdown
© Imago
While fans will still be able to catch one final glimpse of Nadal at the Davis Cup finals from November 19 to November 25 - unless injury cruelly strikes again before his meeting with Botic van de Zandschulp - the 38-year-old has taken to his favoured clay for the final time.
Nadal boasts more French Open singles titles than any other male or female player in history with an unrivalled 14, firstly conquering Roland-Garros in 2005 before winning his final clay-court Grand Slam title 17 years later.
Nadal's 14 French Open successes form part of a staggering 22 major honours, including four US Open titles (2010, 2013, 2017 and 2019), two Wimbledon crowns (2008 and 2010) and two Australian Open crowns (2009 and 2022).
In addition, the former world number one - who spent a total of 209 weeks at the top of the ATP Tour rankings - became an Olympic gold medallist at Beijing 2008 in the singles competition, before also winning the doubles with Marc Lopez in 2016.
With a total of 92 titles on the ATP Tour, Nadal only boasts fewer top-level crowns than Big Three rivals Djokovic (99) and Roger Federer (103), and 36 of his honours came in Masters tournaments, including eight successive Monte-Carlo titles from 2005 to 2012.
Nadal also holds the record for the longest single-surface win streak in the Open Era, triumphing in 81 straight matches on clay from 2005 to 2007, although the one thing missing from his CV is an ATP Finals honour, having only ever managed two runners-up placements at the Year-end Championships.
Nevertheless, a lack of an ATP Finals title is a miniscule blot on an otherwise exceptional record for Nadal, who may have been bedevilled by injuries during the latter part of his career, but his invincibility on clay, masterful returning skills and pre-serve flick-the-hair-behind-the-ears ritual will be missed to no end.
Ben Knapton
