The announcement has finally come. Tennis legend Rafael Nadal has officially declared to retire at the end of the 2024 season. The Davis Cup finals on home soil in Malaga would be his final tournament before he bows out from tennis after almost 20 years at the top. He will end his career as a 22-time grand slam champion and one of the greatest players of all time.
The 38-year-old Rafael Nadal has barely played over the past two seasons because of injuries and suggested last year he could retire at the end of the 2024 season. In a video message released on Thursday, Nadal has made it official. “I am here to let you know I am retiring from professional tennis.”
Rafael Nadal Is the Greatest Clay Court Player Ever
Dubbed the “King of Clay,” Nadal won the French Open singles title a record 14 times, winning 112 of his 116 major matches at Roland Garros. No player has won as many Grand Slam singles titles at the same tournament. He is also a four-time US Open champion and won both the Australian Open and Wimbledon twice.
He also racked up 63 tournament victories on the surface and notched an incredible 81 consecutive wins on clay at one point. Rafael Nadal also became the youngest man to win the career grand slam when he completed the remarkable accomplishment at the 2010 US Open. He was 24 years, 3 months, 10 days old at that time.
More Of Nadal’s Career Achievements
Rafael Nadal spent 209 weeks ranked as World No.1 and formed a “Big Three” with his long-time rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. They dominated tennis for more than a decade, heralding one of the most popular eras in the sport’s history. After a hard battle with injuries over the past two years, speculation has raised that he would hang up his racket this year. And now, the rumors have been confirmed.
Davis Cup Finals also confirmed this as his final tournament. The Spanish team, led by Nadal and the World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, will face the Dutch team in the quarterfinal round of the event. The men’s single and doubles gold medalist has also marked his final appearance at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He lost to old rival Djokovic, who then fulfilled his “Golden Slam,” in the second round of the singles tournament. He reached the quarterfinals of the men’s doubles with Alcaraz.
Emotional Message From Federer to Nadal
Roger Federer sent an emotional message to Rafael Nadal on social media after the Spaniard confirmed his imminent retirement from tennis. Federer, a fellow great, sent a touching message to his former rival on Instagram after the news of his retirement was announced. “Thank you for the unforgettable memories and all your incredible achievements in the game we love. It’s been an absolute honour,” wrote Federer.
Federer was the first of the “Big Three” to retire. The image of a tearful Federer sitting beside Rafael Nadal as they reflected on the final moments of Federer’s professional career in 2022 captured hearts and went viral. They also had a phenomenal match in 2008 when Nadal triumphed over his Swiss rival in a thrilling contest that ended with a score of 6-4, 4-6, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7. This four-hour and 48-minute showdown marked the longest Wimbledon final in history at that time.
Tennis legend John McEnroe declared that clash as the greatest match ever. With that victory, Rafael Nadal claimed his first Grand Slam title outside of Paris, where he had already secured four championships. Nadal also made history by becoming the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to win both the French Open and Wimbledon consecutively.
Two Years Of Injuries Issues Has Finally Come To An End
Rafael Nadal’s last major title came at the 2022 French Open where he beat Djokovic in the quarterfinals. He needed to battle his injuries with painkiller injections for chronic pain in his left foot. These issues continued to make his 2023 and 2024 seasons limited because of hip and abdominal muscle problems.
Rafael Nadal hurt his hip flexor during a second-round loss at the Australian Open in January 2023. He had to miss the rest of the year and had an operation for his injury in June. He also had to pull out of this year’s Australian Open with torn hip muscles. He went through the 2024 Olympic Games as his last appearance.
His overall resume is unimpeachable as he marked 18 years of consecutive weeks in the top 10, with a total of 209 weeks as the world number one. He claimed 92 single titles, a 1,088-227 win-loss record, and just shy of $135 million in prize money. “Really, everything I have experienced has been a dream come true. I leave with the absolute peace of mind of having given my best, of having made an effort in every way,” Nadal said.
