Rafael Nadal confirms retirement date – ‘I think I’ve come full circle’
The curtain will come down on the glorious career of one of tennis’ all-time greats at the Davis Cup Finals with Rafael Nadal confirming he will bow out of the sport after the tournament.
There had been wide speculation about the 22-time Grand Slam winner’s future as he has struggled with injury in recent years, but Nadal has now confirmed his final event.
In a social media post, the former world No 1 announced: “Hello everyone, I’m here to let you know that I am retiring from professional tennis. The reality is that it has been some difficult years, these last two years especially.
“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 and much more successful than I could have ever imagined.”
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After making his comeback at the start of the year, he was forced to skip the Australian Open due to injury and he only played sporadically as he struggled to regain full fitness.
However, he did manage to play at his beloved Roland Garros, but lost in the first round against Alexander Zverev.
A few months later he was back in Paris as he was part of the 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony and also featured in the singles and doubles tournament, but failed to reach the latter stages.
After missing the US Open, Nadal was expected to return to action at the Laver Cup but he withdrew on the eve of the tournament.
His final event will now be the 2024 Davis Cup Finals in Malaga where Spain will face the Netherlands in the quarter-final.
The 38-year-old added: “I’m very excited that my last tournament will be the final of the Davis Cup, representing my country. I think I’ve come full circle since one of my first joys as a professional tennis player was the Davis Cup final in Seville in 2004.”
He added: “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.”
Nadal leaves with plenty of records in tennis as he has won the most French Open titles, with his 14th coming at Roland Garros in 2022, he was the youngest player to achieve the career Grand Slam as he was just 24 when he won all four majors.
The Spaniard leaves with “the absolute peace 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 of you”.
