Emotional Farewell by Tennis Great Rafael Nadal

Tennis great Rafael Nadal on Thursday formally announced his decision to retire from the sport after a brilliant career. The now legendary Spanish super star announced that “it’s time to hang up his racket” at the age of 38.

Over the almost 20 years of his career, Nadal, along with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, took professional tennis to an even higher level. “Rafa” hangs up his racket after having won 22 Grand Slams, including 14 French Opens. This achievement also bestowed upon him the moniker of “king of the clay surface”.

In total, he has participated in 30 Grand Slam finals over his career, with his win percentage in finals reaching an astonishing 73%. In addition to his 14 titles at the French Open, Nadal’s vast collection of “silver ware” includes four US Opens, two Wimbledon championships and an equal number of Australian Opens.

“A career longer than I could have imagined”

In a video message posted on his X account, Nadal began, in Spanish: “Hello everyone, I’m here to tell you that I am retiring from professional tennis. The reality is that it has been some difficult years, these last two especially. I don’t think I have been able to play without limitations.

“It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me a long time to make. But in this life everything has a beginning and an end.
‘And I think this is the appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could ever have imagined.

“But I am very excited that my last tournament will be the finals of the Davis Cup and representing my country. I’ve come full circle because one of my first great joys as a tennis player was the Davis Cup final in Seville in 2004.”