Rafael Nadal - one of the greatest players of all time - has announced his retirement at the end of the 2024 season, after the Davis Cup finals next month.
"Hello everyone. I am here to announce that I will retire from professional tennis, Nadal said in a video posted on his personal page on the X platform on the afternoon of October 10 (Vietnam time).
"The past 2 years have been a really difficult time for me. I am very happy that my last tournament will be the Davis Cup, where I will represent my native Spain. I want this tournament to mark my end. One of my first happy moments in tennis was also the final in Sevilla in 2004.
Nadal has won 22 Grand Slam titles in his career, second in the all-time list for men, behind Novak Djokovic (24).
14 of those trophies were won at Roland Garros, a tournament in which he is known as the King. With such dominance, Rafa has lost only 4 matches in this tournament and won 112 matches.
Nadal has won more than once in all four major titles and has spent 209 weeks at No. 1 in the ATP rankings.
Two decades ago, Nadal emerged on the ATP Tour and quickly challenged Roger Federer's dominance. He established himself as one of the best teenagers the tennis world has ever seen.
Their competition, highlighted by contrasting playing styles, has aroused global interest in the sport and created elements that many consider the golden age of men's tennis.
They were later joined by Djokovic, who along with Nadal pushed the physical battle to new limits. Their rivalry is the most effectively matched men's singles in the Open era. They have faced each other 60 times, with Djokovic handling the score 31-29.
While Nadal has affirmed his dominance on clay and continuously improved on other surfaces, his playing style has also changed the game. The strong, intense spins he created were unlike anyone before him.
With a great hand, physical strength and intelligence, Nadal affirmed his determination to constantly improve. Rafa created a perfect game, allowing him to beat Federer and eventually win Wimbledon in 2008 in one of the greatest games of all time.
Along with his success, Nadal's career has also been defined by injuries. His physical playing style and health problems are most notable as Müller-Weiss syndrome, a degenerative disease in the soles of the feet that left him out for a long time.
Those physical struggles have made his success at Roland Garros more remarkable.
Despite his physical problems, Nadal has been incredibly resilient. His last two Grand Slam titles came at the Australian Open and the French Open in 2022.
However, recently, injuries have caught up with him. Since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Nadal's chronic foot injury has recurred, he has struggled to maintain his form and was forced to withdraw with an abdominal injury before the 2022 Wimbledon semi-final.
Nadal's problems culminated with hip surgery last year. As he prepared for the surgery, Nadal said 2024 could be his final year playing.
However, when he returned for the clay court season in April, Nadal seemed to be hoping to extend his career. He worked every day with his team to achieve his goal.
Nadal's body and some tough games in tournaments played a key role in the decision. Having suffered consecutive early defeats at Roland Garros and the Paris Olympics, Nadal has not competed since the end of the doubles event with Carlos Alcaraz in Paris 2024.
After the event in Saudi Arabia with other upcoming top players, Nadal will end his career in front of his home fans in the Davis Cup finals, starting on November 19 in Malaga.
