The 22-time Grand Slam champion, Rafael Nadal, is set to retire from tennis at the end of this season.
The 38-year-old will make his final appearance representing Spain at next month’s Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.
Nadal has played sparingly over the past two seasons due to injuries and hinted last year that he might retire at the close of 2024.
In a video message released on Thursday, Nadal 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.”
Rafael Nadal retires as the second-most successful men’s singles player in history, surpassed only by his long-time rival Novak Djokovic.
Nicknamed the ‘King of Clay,’ Nadal claimed the French Open singles title a record 14 times, winning 112 of his 116 matches at Roland Garros. No other player has won as many Grand Slam singles titles at a single tournament.
Nadal is also a four-time US Open champion, with two titles each at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. He earned Olympic gold in both singles and doubles, and contributed to Spain’s victory in four Davis Cup finals, the most recent being in 2019.
Together with Novak Djokovic and 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer, Nadal formed the iconic ‘Big Three,’ who dominated men’s tennis from the early 2000s and captivated fans worldwide.
“What a career, Rafa! I always hoped this day would never come,” said Federer, who famously cried alongside Nadal when he retired in 2022.
“Thank you for the unforgettable memories and all your incredible achievements in the game we love. It’s been an absolute honour.”
Why Nadal has decided now is the right time
When announcing his withdrawal from the 2023 French Open, Rafael Nadal revealed plans to retire at the end of 2024 due to the toll a series of injuries had taken on his body.
However, after making a return earlier this season, Nadal became more uncertain about his future, often stating he wished to continue playing as long as his body allowed.
Following a difficult loss to long-time rival Novak Djokovic at the Paris Olympics in July, Nadal has now decided that the time has come to step away from the sport.
“It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make,” he said.
“But, in this life, everything has a beginning and an end.”
After returning to competition in Brisbane in January, Nadal was sidelined again due to a thigh injury, forcing him to miss the Australian Open.
He participated in four tournaments during the European clay-court season, ending with a first-round loss at the French Open.
Since then, Nadal has only competed in two more events, in Bastad and the Olympic Games at Roland Garros.
Last month, he was named in Spain’s squad for the Davis Cup Finals, scheduled to take place from November 19 to 24.
“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,” Nadal said.
“I’m very excited that my last tournament will be the final of the Davis Cup and representing my country.”
He has not played competitively since teaming up with Carlos Alcaraz – long seen as Nadal’s heir at the pinnacle of Spanish men’s tennis – in Olympics doubles earlier this year.
Alcaraz said being given the opportunity to play with his idol was an “immense gift” and the news of his retirement was “tough to accept”.
“I was in shock a little bit,” added Alcaraz, who heard the news shortly before he lost in the Shanghai Masters quarter-finals.
“Losing him, in a certain way, is going to be difficult for us, so I will try to enjoy as much as I can when he’s going to play.”