Hyderabad: Legendary tennis player Rafael Nadal has confirmed he will hang up his boots to put an end to his illustrious career after the Davis Cup Finals next month.
Nadal, the 22-time Grand Slam champion, will play his final game for Spain at the Davis Cup Finals in November, set to take place in Málaga. Nadal won 22 Grand Slam singles titles during an unprecedented era he shared with his rivals in the so-called Big Three, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
Nadal announced his decision through a video message released on Thursday, where he reflected on his recent struggles and the physical toll the game has taken on his body.
"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," Nadal said in a video announcing his retirement.
"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, and severe in 2004," he added.
The 38-year-old hasn't participated in competition since the Paris Olympics 2024, where he lost to old rival Novak Djokovic in the second round of the singles tournament and reached the quarterfinals of the men's doubles with his compatriot Carlos Alcaraz.
The Southpaw has been ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 209 weeks and has finished as the year-end No. 1 five times.
Nadal has clinched 22 Grand Slam men's singles titles, including a record 14 French Opens, two Australian Opens, two Wimbledon and four US Opens. He has won 92 ATP-level singles titles, including 36 Masters titles and an Olympic gold medal, with 63 of these on clay courts, hence he is also popular as the 'King of clay court'. That's more than anyone, man or woman, won at any one of the sport's four major tournaments, a dominance celebrated by a statue of Nadal that stands near the main entrance to the grounds of Roland Garros and in the shadow of its main stadium, Court Philippe Chatrier.
The Spaniard is one of three men to complete the Career Golden Slam in singles. His 81 consecutive wins on clay constitute the longest single-surface win streak in the Open Era. His record at the French has been stupendous, having won 112 games on the clay court and losing just four.
